The Beauty and Power of the O Antiphons

The verses of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel are taken from seven ancient antiphons that the Church has used in her Evening Prayer liturgy since well before the ninth century. Every year, from Dec. 17 to 23, the Church’s liturgy enters a more intense and proximate preparation for Christ’s coming at Christmas. This shift is noticeable in the readings at Mass during these days, but also in the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours, specifically at evening prayer. Every evening during that week, the Church prays one of what have become known as the great “O Antiphons” before reciting Our Lady’s Magnificat canticle.

The Beauty and Power of the O Antiphons by father Thomas Petri O.P.