The last period of Advent is traditionally a period to consider the prophecies about Christ Jesus. This last week, we will use the scripture passages that are the basis for the special antiphons for each of the seven days before Christmas. These antiphons were used from the early Middle Ages onwards in Latin-speaking churches at evening prayer from Dec. 17-23. The hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is based on these seven antiphons.
For today’s meditation, our brother Joseph Mathias provides commentary on Proverbs 8:27-31 and the “O Wisdom” antiphon. Take a listen or click here to download. If you would like to subscribe to our daily Words from the Servants podcast or download the full list of Advent Meditation Passages we’ll be covering this December, click here.
Proverbs 8:27-31:
When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master workman;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the sons of men.
Antiphon:
“O Wisdom that proceeds from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end of the earth to another, ordering all things with great power and beauty, come to show us the way of understanding.”
Note: this antiphon is composed from Sirach 24:3, Wisdom 8:1, and Isaiah 40:14, not from Proverbs 8 directly.
For references to Christ as the Wisdom of God, see Hebrews 1:3, Wisdom 7:26 and 1 Corinthians 1:24.
