Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Praying the O Antiphons, day 3: December 19- O Radix Jesse (Root/Branch of Jesse)


To be prayed at Evening Prayer or Vespers along with the Magnificat

Question for meditation:
How is Jesus’s descent from the lineage of David (Jesse’s son) expand the Beloved Community beyond national differences or boundaries?
Where do you hear references to the Magnificat in the Antiphon or its scriptural sources?

Antiphon for December 19:
O Root of Jesse, sign for all peoples: before You kings shall keep silence and to You all nations shall have recourse. Come, save us, and do not delay.

Then pray the Magnificat:
And Mary said,
My soul overflows with your greatness, O Adonai;
        My spirit rejoices in you, O Savior of All the Nations!
For the light of your countenance has dawned over me
        despite my humble state.
From now and throughout eternity
        even those yet born will call me Blessed
                and sing of the great things you have done for me,
                exulting in the holiness of your Name.
You pour out your mercy on those who stand in awe of you
        those who revere you,
        
        from ages untold to ages yet to come.
Your strong arm shields the humble
        and levels the proud in their isolating conceit.
You have razed the thrones of those who rule by might
        while setting the lowly and gentle upon seats of honor.
You have satisfied the hungry with abundant delights
        while giving the rich a begging bowl, 
                sending them away empty-handed.
You have come to the aid of your people unfailingly
        fulfilling your promises to our ancestors,
        
        to the children of Hagar, Sarah, and Abraham forever,
                standing among us from time immemorial.

Repeat the antiphon:
O Root of Jesse, sign for all peoples: before You kings shall keep silence and to You all nations shall have recourse. Come, save us, and do not delay.



Prayer references for the antiphon:
Isaiah 11:1
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

Isaiah 11:10
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Isaiah 52:15
so he shall startle* many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him;for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.

Habakkuk 2:3
For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie.If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.

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