O Come O Come: Praying with the O Antiphons

As we continue in this third week of Advent, we would like to continue our discussion on prayer and ways to pray. One of the riches of our Catholic tradition is Morning and Evening Prayer (part of the Liturgy of the Hours) in which certain Psalms and Scripture passages are prayed each day. Included in Evening Prayer (or Vespers) is the Magnificat, the song of Mary found in the first chapter of Luke's Gospel. During the final week leading up to Christmas, starting today December 17th, a different "O Antiphon" is sung before the Magnificat.  These O Antiphons are most familiar to us from the song "O Come O Come Emmanuel", and they are a good way for us to reflect on the titles of Jesus as well as connecting images from the Old Testament as fulfilled in the Jesus of the New Testament. Below is a video to help us reflect on these images and the O Antiphons:

The Tragedy in Connecticut

The news from Friday's tragic events in Sandy Hook, Connecticut strain comprehension. How can something like this happen? For a good faith perspective, I urge you to check out the following blog post from the Word on Fire web site: http://www.wordonfire.org/WoF-Blog/WoF-Blog/December-2012/Spirituality-The-Tough-Work-is-Ahead.aspx

Maureen Rotramel
Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry