Veni, Veni Emmanuel

This article was submitted to the parish bulletin, Advent 2008.

Why do we sing O Come, O come Emmanuel during Advent?
It is customary in many Catholic parishes to sing this ancient set of antiphons during the four weeks of advent. These are actually a set of Latin prayers that are used in vespers (evening prayer) in the octave before Christmas. Each “verse” addresses Jesus with a unique title, and each begins with “O”, which is why these are commonly known as the “O antiphons”.
According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one – Emmanuel (God is with us), Rex (King), Oriens (Dayspring), Clavis (Key of David), Radix (Root of Jesse), Adonai (Lord), Sapientia (Wisdom)- the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us. The “O Antiphons” not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion by our crying out to the Lord, “Come” and by His response, “Tomorrow I will come.”