THE LAST EIGHT DAYS IN THE ADVENT SEASON

During the last eight days of Advent, it is useful to reflect on the different titles given to the Lord who is to come. The titles are Old Testament titles conferred on Jesus, showing he is the promised Messiah.

December 17^th – Wisdom: St. Paul tells us that God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom. He is saying that it is hard to imagine the Wisdom of God, who knows all things, because God has created all things. This title of God reminds us especially of the Book of Wisdom in the Old Testament – a beautiful hymn in which wisdom is personified, and is active in the world.

Antiphon: “O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High. You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner. O come to teach us the way of truth.”

December 18^th – Adonai: a name for the Most High God, whose true name could not be uttered, and of whom it was said that nobody could gaze on the face of God and live. Adonai is the Lord of armies, who will march out to save the people in battle.

Antiphon: “O Adonai and leader of Israel, you appeared to Moses in a burning bush and you gave him the Law on Sinai. O come and save us with your mighty power.”

December 19^th – Stock of Jesse: Jesse was the father of King David, and Jesus is a descendent of David. From David comes the association of Jesus as royal, of David’s line. Jesus inherits the throne of David, re-defining his role as King of the Jews.

Antiphon: “O stock of Jesse, you stand as a signal for the nations; kings fall silent before you whom the peoples acclaim. O come to deliver us, and do not delay.”

December 20^th – Key of David: Jesus is not simply a ruler descended from David, but a liberator, a redeemer. This name echoes the mission of Jesus to bind and to loose, a mission Jesus passes on to his disciples.

Antiphon: “O key of David and scepter of Israel, what you open no one else can close again; what you close no one can open. O come to lead the captive from prison; free those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

December 21^st – Rising Sun: The sun is a sign of God’s creation, God’s endurance, and a sign of God’s glory. God’s glory outshines the sun, and will endure after the sun and moon have failed. Psalm 84 describes God as the sun: “For a sun and shield is the Lord God, bestowing all grace and glory. The Lord withholds no good thing from those who walk without reproach.” (Psalms 84:11)

Antiphon: “O Rising Sun, you are the splendor of eternal light and the sun of justice. O come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

December 22^nd – King: God is the king above all kings, and the prophet Samuel is reluctant to anoint a king for the Israelites as this will seem like a rejection of God’s rule. Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king; Jesus answers indirectly, because his kingship does not accord with the expectations of the Romans, the Jewish authorities, or even his followers.

Antiphon: “O King whom all the peoples desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one. O come and save man whom you made from clay.”

December 23^rd – Immanuel: The prophecy of Isaiah foretells a sign to be given by God: a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel: a name which means God is with us. Jesus is the word made flesh, God in the midst of the people.

Antiphon: “O Immanuel, you are our king and judge, the One whom the peoples await and their Savior. O come and save us, Lord, our God.”

Source: Adapted from The Great “O” Antiphons of Advent.