December 23rd - O Emmanuel

About 20 years ago, I did a blog post for each of the “O Antiphons”.  In going back through them, I realized I never did the last one, “O Emmanuel” so I decided to do it today.

First, here are all of the other “O Antiphon” posts from around 20 years ago:

December 17th: https://on-this-rock.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-17th-o-sapientia.html

December 18th: https://on-this-rock.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-18th-o-adonai.html

December 19th: https://on-this-rock.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-19th-o-radix-jesse.html

December 20th: https://on-this-rock.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-20th-o-clavis-david.html

December 21st: https://on-this-rock.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-21st-o-oriens.html

December 22nd: https://on-this-rock.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-22nd-o-rex-gentium.html

These "O Antiphons" are ancient pieces of chant sung on the days from December 17th through December 23rd.  Each day a different Old Testament title for the messiah is beseeched to come.  As the world cried out in longing for the Messiah before Christ, so we still cry out for his return.

Today's O Antiphon is sung to "Emmanuel"

The Latin is "O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster."

The English "O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Expected of the Nations and their Saviour, come to save us, O Lord our God."

"Emmanuel" is Hebrew for "God is with us"

The word shows up in Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel."

In Isaiah, the larger context is that prophet Isaiah is commanded by God, "Go out to meet Ahaz...and say to him: "Take care you remain calm and do not fear"  Ahaz is in fear because what appears to be 2 mighty nations are preparing to conquer Ahaz's kingdom.

The story then continues: "Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God...But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”  Then he said: "Listen, house of David! Is it not enough that you weary human beings? Must you also weary my God?  

And then Isaiah says the part that makes up our O Antiphon for today: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel."

Ahaz, unfortunately, does not take Isaiah's counsel and is defeated.

But Isaiah's words also find its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  

This "O Antiphon" is the most famous of all of them, as it has been turned into an english hymn "O Come O Come Emmanuel" sung in a lot of Catholic Churches throughout the entire season of Advent.