Hymn for Advent

                I pray you are having a blessed Feast of the Immaculate Conception!

Advent is one of my favorite seasons within the Church.  I love following the rhythm of the Church with the daily recitation of the St. Andrew Novena  and (soon) the O Antiphons.  Our family gathers each evening to pray these together amidst the glow of the Advent candles.  Recently I started reading Around the Year with the Trapp Family by Maria Trapp and wondered over her list of Advent hymns the Trapp family sang.  Besides "Veni, Veni Emmanuel" I knew of few hymns for the season of Advent.  Thus I began searching to find them this year; I plan to share some of the hymns throughout the season.  The following hymn is taken from Lauds in the old Roman breviary.   If you would like to listen to the hymn, you can find the Latin version sung here and the English here.

Hark, a Herald Voice is Calling Hark, a herald voice is calling; "Christ is nigh," it seems to say; "Cast away the dreams of darkness, O ye children of the day." Startled at the solemn warning, Let the earth-bound soul arise; Christ, her sun, all sloth dispelling, Shines upon  the morning skies. Lo, the Lamb, so long expected, Comes with pardon down from heaven; Let us haste, with tears of sorrow, One and all to be forgiven. So when next he comes with glory, Wrapping all the earth in fear, May he then as our defender On the clouds of heaven appear. Honor, glory, virtue, merit, To the Father and the Son, With the co-eternal Spirit, While eternal ages run. Amen.

En Clara Vox Redarguit En clara vox redarguit Obscura quaeque personans: Procul fugentur somnia, Ab alto Iesus promicat. Mens iam resurgat torpida, Non amplius iacens humi: Sidus refulget iam novum, Ut tollat omne noxium. En Agnus ad nos mittitur Laxare gratis debitum: Omnes simul cum lacrimis Precemur indulgentiam. Ut cum secundo fulserit, Metuque mundum cinxerit, Non pro reatu puniat, Sed nos pius tunc protegat. Viruts, honor, laus, gloria Deo Patri cum Filio, Sancto simul Paraclito, In saeculorum saecula. Amen.

God bless!

+JMJ+