Saturday of the Fourth week of Advent Ero Cras REFLECT On Christmas Eve all our Advent waiting comes together. We look back at the prophecies of Israel and see time and again how Christ fulfills them all. They point clearly to the Redeemer, but this […]
Friday of the Fourth week of Advent O Emmanuel REFLECT Emmanuel means “God with us.” We know the word well from the popular Advent hymn that includes the name in the title. But despite how often we’ve heard it sung, like many things that are […]
Thursday of the Fourth week of Advent O Rex Gentium REFLECT In today’s O Antiphon verse, the Church sings, “O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; / O Keystone of the mighty arch of man: / Come and save […]
Wednesday of the Fourth week of Advent O Oriens REFLECT Christ is called the “radiant dawn” or “the dayspring.” One special Advent tradition in Northern Europe centers around attending a series of votive Masses prayed in honor of the Virgin Mary. These Masses — called […]
Tuesday of the Fourth week of Advent O Clavis David REFLECT The Hebrew word messiah means “the anointed.” In ancient Israel the kings were anointed with oil, marking them as special servants of the Lord. Consider the anointing of King David from the Old Testament: […]
Monday of the Fourth week of Advent O Radix Jesse REFLECT Today the Church sings, “O Flower of Jesse’s stem, / you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples. … / Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.” At […]
Fourth Sunday of Advent Matthew 1:18–24 REFLECT Christmas draws very near. In just seven days we will celebrate again the great feast of the Incarnation, the birthday of Our Lord. And as the height of the drama of Christmas approaches, we turn to Mary and […]