Homily for 3rd Sun Adv, Year B
Fr. Albert
St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA
Article for O Antiphons: http://familyfeastandferia.com/2010/12/o-antiphons/
O Antiphon prayer guide: http://familyfeastandferia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/O_antiphons_prayer_companion_rev2015.pdf
♫Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel♫. That joyful refrain is from one of the best known Christmas hymns in the Christian tradition. And it is a great time to sing it since today is Gaudete Sunday and that word means “rejoice.” And that’s why I am wearing this bright color, because rose vestments represent great joy. Twice a year we do this, during Advent and Lent. In both cases it is because the penitential season is more than halfway over. The Lord is near, our salvation is at hand, and our anticipation is building. And the longer we’ve waited, the greater our joy. So, that is your homework for this weekend, rejoice in the fact that Christmas is almost here.
But while we are rejoicing, it is a good time to ask, “why?” What is it about Jesus that should cause us to rejoice? Most of us assume we know the answer as soon as we ask the question, but can you explain it? We could jump right to the big one and just say “Jesus saves us from sin.” That’s true, but is that truth so real to you that it actually causes you to feel joy when you say it? Do you really rejoice in the expectation of the coming of Jesus Christ?
And Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians even commands us to “rejoice.” But what if we don’t feel the joy? Joy can be hidden and interior and it’s not the same as emotional excitement. But still, how do we find joy if we don’t have it? The best way is to really dig into just what this season is all about. Jesus is the reason for the season, yes, but the real heart of the matter is this: what makes Jesus’s birth so important, so joyful that we spend four weeks preparing for it and two weeks partying because of it? What is there to look forward to? To answer that question, I’d like to go back to that hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
You see, that hymn is pretty old, but the lyrics are even older. Every day, priests, monks, and nuns throughout the world follow a special routine of prayer called Liturgy of the Hours. Some parts stay the same, but some parts change every day. Starting today, that prayer has what we call the “O Antiphons.” O Emmanuel, O Wisdom, O King of Nations. There are seven of them and we use one each day for this last week before Christmas. This goes back probably 1500 years or more. But the words themselves are more than 1000 years older than that.
And the hymn we sing uses these seven antiphons in seven verses. Each one comes from a prophecy in Isaiah. Each one of them can teach us something about why we should be so joyful that Jesus came on Christmas morning. You see, some people look forward to Christmas all year long, starting as soon as the last Christmas is over. Many of us look forward to it around Thanksgiving. But these prayers, these prophecies are from people that anticipated Jesus’ coming for hundreds and even thousands of years.
Israel – not the country in the middle east today but the ancient Israel that God led through the desert – they can teach us about real anticipation through the O Antiphons that come from their prayers. The first O Antiphon is O Wisdom from on high, who orders all things mightily. Israel knew that the world was chaotic. They knew that they lived in the chaos of their own lives. The messiah was expected to bring the wisdom of God and use it to create order in the world, in their nation, and in their individual lives. Is there chaos in your own heart and mind? Are you willing to admit your inconsistency, your need for wisdom and prudence? If you are, then you can begin to understand the excitement and joy of finally having someone to bring that wisdom into your life.
Then we have O Adonai, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, and O King of Nations. Though each one has a unique connotation, all of them have to do with the fact that the Messiah – Jesus Christ – is supposed to be a judge and a king… our Lord. For centuries, ancient Israel longed to be their own country, to have their own land, to follow their own king, and to be free. They spent most of their history as slaves, conquered people, and exiles. Do you recognize that you are a slave to sin? That you are often an exile in your own body? That you are captive to the blind forces of emotion and instinct that are manipulated by politicians and businesses for their own gain? If you recognize your slavery, you can then see the joy that will come when our loving king sets you free.
Then there is O Dayspring or O Rising Sun. Ancient Israel learned the hard way that they are trapped in darkness and live in the shadow of death. After a thousand years of trying to find light in this world, they were desperate for light to come to them from heaven. For all our artificial light, clever devices, and scientific knowledge, we are a people very much in darkness. Do you recognize your own ignorance? Do you truly long for the real meaning of this life and the deepest truths of our world? When the light shines, will you like what you see? Are you willing to let that light, who is also a king, change what is dark inside you? Bright light might blind you when you first see it, but if you let your eyes adjust, it brings beauty, and joy, and peace.
And at last we come to O Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” That’s the most profound of them all, and Christmas joy is found primarily in the humility of a God who chose to be born as a helpless child just to be with us. Though it is a tender and pleasant thought, the reality can also be quite challenging. For all their desire, Israel was not yet ready for Emmanuel. In their pride, they did not recognize the humble God for whom they longed. Holiness is powerful and demanding; To enter God’s presence is no trivial act, for God’s love reaches to the mightiest of sinners, hoping to transform them into the most perfect of saints. Will you let God’s presence transform you?
And there is so much more we can learn from just these seven prayers. If you still want to get the most out of advent, start now and use the O Antiphons to guide you. There are plenty of articles online and in print. I will include a link to an article and to a prayer guide on the website where I post my homilies. Start with the O Antiphons tonight. Join your prayers to the prayers of Ancient Israel and all who look for the joy of the Messiah who comes to us.
Truly, centuries and millennia of prayer were answered when Jesus was born. Emmanuel walked among us, but Israel rejected him when he came. We are the New Israel, so you have the privilege and opportunity to do what the Old Israel could not. You have the chance to look forward the Lord’s coming and to be prepared. You can know not only the joy of the Lord’s arrival, but the joy of being prepared for when it comes. Rejoice. Prepare and Rejoice. Emmanuel indeed shall come to you, O Israel.
