Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle

 On December 21 Holy Mother Church honors the martyr and apostle, St. Thomas.  While St. Thomas is most often recognized as "doubting Thomas," this Apostle of our Lord lived and worked tirelessly for Christ and His Church.  He was honored with the title Apostle of India.  After Pentecost, St. Thomas taught the Faith in many countries, including in Persia, in Medea, and finally in India.  Inspired by St. Thomas' holiness, love, and devotion to the Faith, the number of converts to the Church was great, which angered the king of that land.  Therefore, he ordered St. Thomas to be killed with spears, allowing the Saint to gain the crown of martyrdom. 

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The feast of St. Thomas is the last Feast the Church celebrates until the Feast of  the Birth of our Lord on Christmas Day.  The remaining days of Advent are called the Greater Ferias.  Dom Gueranger writes in The Liturgical Year,

"To none of the Apostles could this day have been so fittingly assigned as to St. Thomas. It was St. Thomas whom we needed; St. Thomas, whose festal patronage would aid us to believe and hope in that God whom we see not, and who comes to us in silence and humility... Let us pray to him with confidence. In that heaven of Light and Vision, where his repentance and love have placed him, he will intercede for us, and gain for us that docility of mind and heart, which will enable us to see and recognize Him, who is the Expected of Nations, and who, though the King of the world, will give no other signs of His majesty, than the swaddling-clothes and tears of a Babe."

"Doubting Thomas" by Caravaggio

The following prayer, also found in The Liturgical Year, is to be prayed on the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle.  May we seek his intercession for an increased faith in and love of our Lord, the Infant King for whom we long.

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Prayer on the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle

O glorious Apostle Thomas! who didst lead to Christ so many unbelieving nations, hear now the prayers of the faithful, who beseech thee to lead them to that same Jesus, who, in five days, will have shown Himself to His Church. That we may merit to appear in His divine Presence, we need, before all other graces, the light which leads to Him. That light is Faith; then, pray that we may have Faith. 

Heretofore, our Saviour had compassion on thy weakness, and deigned to remove from thee the doubt of His having risen from the grave; pray to Him for us, that He will mercifully come to our assistance, and make Himself felt by our heart. We ask not, O holy Apostle, to see Him with the eyes of our body, but with those of our faith, for He said to thee, when He showed Himself to thee: Blessed are they who have not seen, and have believed! Of this happy number, we desire to be. 

We beseech thee, therefore, pray that we may obtain the Faith of the heart and will, that so, when we behold the divine Infant wrapped in swaddling-clothes and laid in a manger, we may cry out: My Lord! and my God! Pray, O holy Apostle, for the nations thou didst evangelize, but which have fallen back again into the shades of death. May the day soon come, when the Sun of Justice will once more shine upon them. Bless the efforts of those apostolic men, who have devoted their labours and their very lives to the work of the Missions; pray that the days of darkness may be shortened, and that the countries, which were watered by thy blood, may at length see that kingdom of God established amongst them, which thou didst preach to them, and for which we also are in waiting.  Amen.

God bless!

+JMJ+

O Antiphons

                          

Another tradition for Advent that I love is the recitation of the “O Antiphons.” Part of the liturgical tradition since the early Church, the O Antiphons are prayers that come from the Breviary's Vespers during the Octave before Christmas, from December 17-23, a time which is called the Golden Nights. Each Antiphon begins with “O” and addresses Jesus with a specific title which is taken from the prophecies of Isaiah. Just as all of Advent is characterized by the longing for the arrival of Christ's birth, the O Antiphons echo this desire and bring an ever greater anticipation for Christmas. Each Antiphon ends with a plea to the Messiah to come.

The titles of Christ found within the O Antiphons in the traditional Latin are: Sapentia (Wisdom), Adonai (Lord of Israel), Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse), Clavis David (Key of David), Oriens (Radiant Dawn), Rex Gentium (King of all Nations), and Emmanuel (God with us). It is believed that in the Middle Ages the Benedictine Monks who prayed the O Antiphons arranged the titles in a definite way. If, beginning with the last title, the first letter of each name is taken, the Latin words “Ero Cras” are formed, which means “Tomorrow I come.” Thus the O Antiphons are a meaningful conclusion to Advent preparations. The prayers are provided below.

To pray the O Antiphons as they are prayed in the Divine Office, recite the Antiphon, then pray the Magnificat, and then repeat the Antiphon. Following the prayers, sing the corresponding verse of “O Come, Emmanuel” with the refrain, a song which originates from the O Antiphons.
***Please notice the correct order of the verses of "O Come, Emmanuel," to sing them with the corresponding O Antiphon, is different than generally printed.  I have noted at the end of each day's prayers which verse should be sung with the refrain.  Both the Latin and the English translations are provided below.

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December 17--O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence! (Sing verse 2 of “O Come, Emmanuel” with the refrain.)

December 18--O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm! (Sing verse 3 with the refrain.)

December 19--O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry. (Sing verse 4 with the refrain.)

December 20--O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in
darkness, and in the shadow of death. (Sing verse 5 with the refrain.)

December 21--O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death! (Sing verse 6 with the refrain.)

December 22--O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof! O Cornerstone, that makest of two one, come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth! (Sing verse 7 with the refrain.)

December 23--O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God! (Sing verse 1 with the refrain.)

Veni, veni Emmanuel/Come, O come, Emmanuel

Veni, veni, Emmanuel captivum solve Israel, qui gemit in exsilio, privatus Dei Filio. Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, O Sapientia, quae hic disponis omnia, veni, viam prudentiae ut doceas et gloriae. Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, veni, Adonai, qui populo in Sinai legem dedisti vertice in maiestate gloriae. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, O Iesse virgula, ex hostis tuos ungula, de spectu tuos tartari educ et antro barathri. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. Veni, Clavis Davidica, regna reclude caelica, fac iter tutum superum, et claude vias inferum. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel. Veni, veni O Oriens, solare nos adveniens, noctis depelle nebulas, dirasque mortis tenebras. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel. Veni, veni, Rex Gentium, veni, Redemptor omnium, ut salvas tuos famulos peccati sibi conscios. Gaude, gaude Emmanuel Nascetur pro te Israel.

Come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that morns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Wisdom, from on high, and order all things far and nigh; to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, o come, Thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai's height in ancient times did give the law, in cloud, and majesty, and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Rod of Jesse's stem, form ev'ry foe deliver them that trust Thy mighty power to save, and give them vict'ry o'er the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heav'nly home, make safe the way that leads on high, that we no more have cause to sigh. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh; disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death's dark shadow put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! O come, Desire of the nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind; bid every strife and quarrel cease and fill the world with heaven's peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel! God bless!

+JMJ+