Day 5 - Ancient Hymns
- danmcneil14
- Dec 18, 2021
- 2 min read
Prayer is as old as humankind. Faithful Jewish people have prayed the Psalms since the time of King David. Early Christians inherited this tradition. In the 6th century, St Benedict founded monasteries - communities of men and women, established around a common life of work and prayer. For over a thousand years, religious monks, nuns, and laypeople daily pray the Psalms. This practice is known as the Liturgy of the Hours.
This past summer, Patrick and I visited St Benedict's first monastery at Mount Subasio while in Italy. For five years of my life when I was a young man, I too learned this rhythm of prayer as a Franciscan brother. Several times a day, I joined my brothers in Chapel for morning, evening, and night prayer.
This Advent, I return to the old ways. Allow me to explain a few technical details. We are officially in the Octave of Christmas, the eight days before Christmas. Since the time of Benedict, key prayers are prefaced during the octave by special titles for Jesus called the "O, Antiphons," based on passages from the prophet Isaiah.
Each day of the octave is assigned its own antiphon as follows:
17 December: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
18 December: O Adonai (O Lord)
19 December: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)*
20 December: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
21 December: O Oriens (O Dayspring)
22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
23 December: O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)
You might recognize these titles from the Advent Hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
This is my absolute favorite song of the season and here is my favorite version. I listen to it over and over again every year.
Practice
Recall a spiritual practice from your life. Reflect on a sacred text. Consider how the Divine has been present since your earliest days. Offer a prayer. Sing a hymn. Rest in silence.
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