The seven O Antiphons are traditionally sung during vespers on the last seven days of Advent (December 17th-December 23rd). Each antiphon sings of one of the scriptural names of Christ, such as ‘O Wisdom’, ‘O Root of Jesse’, and ‘O Key of David’. The last antiphon, ‘O Emmanuel’, is most commonly-known for it forms the basis of the hymn ‘O Come O Come Emmanuel’.

The antiphons are a simple way to incorporate ancient Church tradition into your Advent preparations, even if you are not able to pray the full vespers. One MODG family shares the way they incorporate this tradition into their daily life.

16th century icon of Christ as the True Vine. He is called the 'Root of Jesse' in the third antiphon, taken from Isaiah 11. {{PD-US-expired}}

“I’ve always loved the hymn ‘O Come O Come Emmanuel’,” says Tory Lamore, an enrolled MODG parent who has been homeschooling for over twenty-seven years. “It gives me a sense of being connected with the Church down through the ages because it is so old. Some hymnals say it’s from the 8th century, some say from the 9th. I feel a part of the Church.”

The Lamore family incorporates the antiphons into already-existing routines that they have in the evening. “We do the advent wreath at dinnertime, and then before dessert we sing one of the antiphons,” says Tory. “The other time we’ve done it is when we do our Advent calendar. Instead of just opening one window in the calendar, we want to make that more of a prayerful experience.”

Tory shares that the simple routine helps deepen her spiritual preparation of Advent. “I experience something that’s almost purgatorial because I experience a thread of sadness, but also that thread of joy mixed in it. We have the yearning for Jesus to come again the second time, but we also know why He came and how it was because of our sin. We’re sorry for our sins, and music brings that out. It’s a spiritual benefit.”

The first antiphon is about wisdom and is taken from the books of Sirach, Wisdom, and Isaiah:

O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High and, reaching from beginning to end, you ordered all things mightily and sweetly.  Come, and teach us the way of prudence.

“The one I like the best is ‘O Wisdom’,” says Tory. “I love order - going to the source of wisdom and ordering our lives well. I love the ‘sweetly’ part. I try to tell the kids that the Word of God is sweet. Our kids used to take turns picking a special dessert for Sunday dinner to help them realize that the Word of God is sweet. That’s also why we connect the O Antiphons with the chocolate Advent calendar!”

The O Antiphons begin on Tuesday, December 17th! Click to follow along with them.