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Waiting in Joyful Hope

Young Jesus Teaching the Elders in the Synagogue, stained glass, courtesy of Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP.

This evening, Holy Mother Church begins her expectant wait for the coming of her Savior in the flesh by chanting the O Antiphons at Vespers.

These antiphons have been converted into the beautiful Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The antiphons invoking Our Lord go in order: Wisdom, Lord, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dawn, King of the Nations, and Emmanuel.

In Latin, the first letter of each title spells out a hidden message: if listed backwards, they spell out “ERO CRAS”, that is, “I will come tomorrow.”

If you happen to be here for the St. Jude daily Masses, stop in early for Vespers at 5 pm, and hear our novices sing these beautiful Latin chants.