O Come, Emmanuel

Commencing in a short week or two on December 1, the liturgical season of Advent begins.  While the rest of the world begins its calendar on the first of January, the Church starts, not with the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ, but rather with our time of waiting for Him.  And this waiting for Christ has two realities to it, both of which are noted within this season.

First, we recognize that there is a somber aspect to the season of Advent.  It’s not the full-on penitential mood of the Lenten season but there surely is a change from the joyful acknowledgement of Christ as the King, on the Solemnity of the last Sunday of the liturgical year.  This change is acknowledged with the purple or sarum blue color of the vestments, to the fact that the gloria is omitted from the celebration of the Mass and there are no flowers upon the altars.  But Advent is not really a time for sadness, it is rather a time of expectation.  We await the coming of the Lord and as we do we await joyfully.

But as said above, we await a dual coming of Christ.  After celebrating our Lord Jesus as Christ the King, we acknowledge that we await His glorious return.  This is something that we acknowledge every time we gather for Holy Mass and together proclaim the Nicene Creed.  We confess there concerning our Lord Jesus, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.”  And as we grow closer and closer to December 25, we also await the annual celebration of the coming of our Lord in His Nativity. 

It is with this dual awaiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ that we sing the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emanuel” during this Advent time.  This hymn, hopefully known to all of us, speaks of the waiting that we experience for our Lord.  And throughout the hymn, Jesus is referred to by a number of different names, to reveal to us the ways in which He will come.

O come, O come, Emmanuel …
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high …
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might …
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem …
O come, Thou key of David …
O come, Thou Dayspring from on high …
O come, Desire of nations …

Within each of these verses of the hymn, we reflect on the role that the Lord will have for us when He comes to us as the Christ Child at His Nativity, and also when He will come again to us to Judge the living and the dead.  I always find this hymn to be especially beautiful because as we sing the refrain, “Rejoice, rejoice…” the words remind us that we should be joyful, but the music is not a joyful tone, rather it is one of longing.  We remind ourselves that while we are certainly joyful for all of the mercies and blessings that have come to us from our Lord, they are not yet complete.  They will not be ultimately complete until the end of time when we are finally united fully with our Lord in His kingdom.

These “O Antiphons” as they are known are taken from the traditional introductions used during
Evening Prayer on the last seven days before December 24, the evening before the Nativity of our Lord.  As a meditation this Advent season what a wonderful reflection on the coming of Christ, to sing this hymn throughout the entirety of the season. 

As these messianic images are also taken from the Old Testament, they also remind us that we stand together with ancient Israel waiting for the appearance of the Messiah.  We wait still, to commemorate His birth at Christmas and for Him to return at the consummation of the age as Judge. 

As a guide through these images from the Old Testament there is a beautiful reflection on the O Antiphons as a guide through the entirety of the history of Israel waiting for the Messiah.  In this reflection we must remember that the first verse of the hymn is really the last of the Antiphons which can certainly be repeated if we are singing it. 

In the first antiphon, “O Come, Thou Wisdom from on high” we take a backward flight into the recesses of eternity to encounter Wisdom, the Word of God which we know will become flesh.  In the second, “O Come, O Come, Thou Lord of might” we have leaped from eternity to the time of Moses and the Law of Moses given to God’s people about 1,400 B.C.  In the third antiphon, “O Come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s Stem,” we have come to the time when God was preparing the line of David, around 1,100 B.C., as the lineage of Jesus.  In the fourth Antiphon, “O Come, Thou Key of David” we have come to the year 1000 B.C. as a time of remembrance for the final preparing.  In the fifth Antiphon “O Come, Thou Dayspring from on high” we see that the line of David is elevated so that the people may look on a rising star in the east, and this leads to the sixth Antiphon, “O Come, Desire of Nations,” because we know that the Messiah is king of all the world.  These reflections bring us to the evening before the vigil, and before coming to the town limits of Bethlehem when we salute Him with the last Great O Antiphon, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”  We acknowledge as we gather for the Midnight Mass of the Shepherds that Jesus is Emmanuel, God-with-us.

So, my brothers and sisters, as we will soon celebrate the Advent season, I encourage you to savor it fully while you can and not to quickly look past it.  Unfortunately, our society seems to want to rush us forward to prepare for the secular celebrations of Christmas.  But as Advent people, let all of your preparations be a time of joining them with our Advent waiting.  As you shop for gifts, remember that we have received the greatest gift of all in the person of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  As you clean and straighten your homes, remember that the Advent season is also a time to get your own life in order for the coming of Christ at Christmas and also His coming for you as Judge.  Make sure that for this season you take some time to attend an Advent Penitential Devotion as you strive to make a serious amendment of life.  As you go about cooking meals and preparing sweets, remember that we are truly fed only through the Eucharistic presence of the Lord Who comes to us in His Body and His Blood in Holy Communion.

Sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and other Advent hymns throughout this season.  Long to have Christ within your lives in ever stronger ways.  Participate in the Advent Retreats and Penitential Services that will occur throughout the Church.  In each of these ways embrace the waiting as you get yourselves ready for the coming of Christ.  Sing with the hymn “Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel,” and remember that He comes to all of us who await Him.