The O Antiphons refers to the Magnificat antiphons at Vespers during the last week of Advent. This is the culmination of the Advent time of preparation for Christmas.
Advent is divided into two unequal parts. The first part looks forward to the second coming of Christ at the end of time, whereas the second part looks forward to Christ’s coming into the world in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. This second part starts on the 17th December, running up to Christmas Eve.
In the first part of Advent, the Gospel readings Mass are taken from the public life of Jesus. The other readings taken to match. From the 17th December, they are taken from the Infancy Narratives, which are the first two chapters of Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels.
The Magnificat Antiphons
Every evening we sing Vespers in the Abbey Church. Vespers is the evening prayer of the Church, comprising a hymn, psalms, a short Scripture reading, the Magnificat, some intercessions, the Our Father, and a closing prayer. It is a part of the Divine Office, the prayers which monks (and priests) say every day. Each psalm and the Magnificat has an antiphon at the start and end. On some special days, including the last week of Advent, we have a solemn Vespers.
The start of the Magnificat antiphon for 23rd December (from the Antiphonale Monasticum, copyright Desclee and Co, Tournai).
During the last week of Advent we sing the Magnificat antiphon in Latin. A different priest leads Vespers each night during this week. The Magnificat antiphons all start with the word ‘O’, so are called the ‘O antiphons.’ They have been in use since at least the eighth century. Each one is a Scriptural title of the Messiah. The full list of antiphons is:
| Date | Antiphon | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 17th December | O Sapientia | O Wisdom |
| 18th December | O Adonai | O Lord |
| 19th December | O Radix Jesse | O Stock of Jesse |
| 20th December | O Clavis David | O Key of David |
| 21st December | O Oriens | O Rising Sun |
| 22nd December | O Rex Gentium | O King of All Peoples |
| 23rd December | O Emmanuel | O Emmanuel (God With Us) |
At Solemn Vespers, during the Magnificat, the priest leading Vespers incenses the altar.
These antiphons (in English, at least) might sound familiar. That is because they form the verses of the Christmas hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. The hymn was written in 1851, based on these antiphons.
People have often noticed that the first letters of the words after the ‘O’ can be written backwards to spell ‘ero cras.’ This is Latin for ‘I will be tomorrow’ or ‘Tomorrow I will be.’ Although it might be a coincidence, it is a nice thought that the Magnificat antiphons of this week have the message of what Christmas is really about – Christ will be here.