Monday 17 December 2012

O - the final countdown

Today at Vespers the Church will recite the first of the Great Antiphons before and after the Magnificat. These ancient antiphons, known as the O Antiphons, change each day and accompany us on the final approach to our Lord's Nativity in a week's time.

Today's antiphon is O Sapientiae (O Wisdom). Even if you don't routinely recite Vespers, you might like to google these beautiful texts and use them in your private devotions during this final countdown.

The book, The Rites of Durham (h/t the Abbot of Farnborough) describes how the monks there, after singing Vespers on this day, would gather and have an O Sapientiae small feast or dolce, consisting of wine, walnuts and raisins. Why not incorporate that into your advent traditions? Here we will be having a slight variation, Mulled wine, dates and chocolate covered raisins. Well why not......?

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