O Antiphons!

 Every year I get real excited when 17 December rolls around because we begin the O Antiphons; Advent is winding down and Christmas is almost here!  

The O Antiphons are the antiphons used during the second half of Advent from 17 December  until 23 December for Vespers (Evening Prayer) in the Divine Office at the Magnificat, and the alleluia verses on the same days for Mass.

They are referred to as the "O Antiphons" because the title of each one begins with the interjection "O".    Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture.

·        December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)

·        December 18: O Adonai (O Lord)

·        December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)

·        December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)

·        December 21: O Oriens (O Dayspring)

·        December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the nations)

·        December 23: O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)

The first letters of the titles taken backwards form a Latin acrostic of "Ero Cras" which translates to "Tomorrow, I will be [there],” mirroring the theme of the antiphons.