O Adonai

Yesterday, December 17th, marked the first day in which the Great O Antiphons of Advent are sung. Do I hear you ask, oh Reader, “what are the Great O Antiphon”? I am glad you do, for I had never heard of this beautiful liturgical custom until this year.

The Great O Antiphons are a series of seven special antiphons which are sung before the Magnificat at Vespers each day from December 17th through December 23rd, begging our Lord to make haste and come. Each of the antiphons begins by addressing the Messiah by one of His titles. The first begins, O Sapientia – that is, O Wisdom - and the others follow suit: O Adonai – O Lord; O Radix Jesse – O Root of Jesse; O Clavis David – O Key of David; O Oriens – O Rising Sun; O Rex Gentium – O King of Nations; and finally, O Emmanuel – O, God with us

The Antiphons are of great antiquity. The sixth century philosopher, Boethius, makes mention of them, and by the 8th century, they were a tradition part of the Roman Liturgy. The Antiphons are singular to Christmas. No other feast in the Church – not even Easter – has anything similar preceding the feast. Given their venerable age, and their unique standing, it seems a pity that they are not better known. Therefore, I am posting a clip of the antiphon for today, O Adonai:

For an brief history and explanation of the O Antiphons, this site is a good place to start.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Empress of the Americas

Today is the feast day of our Lady of Guadalupe. The story of the simple Juan Diego, and his beautiful lady, is one of the most touching accounts of our Lady's love for us, and the confidence we should have in her motherhood. Below is a really fine video concerning the miraculous image which was imprinted on the tilma of Juan Diego. It is a bit long, but worth looking at. One of the most beautiful aspects of this image, which is not covered in the video, is that the black sash which our Lady wears symbolises that she is with child. How fitting that we should be celebrating this particular feast day, during Advent, as we await our Lord's birth at Christmas.

This website contains a good, brief history of Mexico at the time of the apparition. For the adventurous, here is a recipe for Mayan hot chocolate, with cinnamon and chili powder in it. Believe it or not, the chili is really wonderful in hot chocolate, and I intend to make some tonight in celebration of the feast day.

Gaudete Sunday

Today is the third Sunday of Advent, and, like it's counterpart, Laetare Sunday in Lent, it is a small, joyful break to the penitential season. Rose coloured vestments are permitted in lieu of violet, the the liturgy takes on a decidedly hopeful and joyous tone.

I must admit that I love the season of Advent. It is a penitential season, and our family has always treated it as such, but it has such a different feel to it than Lent does. Lent is looking towards a death. Oh, I know the Resurrection comes too, but the death is still first, and there is a bitterness about the Lenten fast that bespeaks of sack cloth and ashes. Advent, however, is looking towards a birth, and therefore, cannot help but have an atmosphere of suppressed excitement, and anticipation. The penance itself feels incidental - rather like foregoing breakfast on Thanksgiving, when you know you are going to have a fantastic dinner. It simply makes a beautiful feast day that much more joyful when it actually arrives. Below is a group of carollers from Ireland, enthusiastically singing a lovely Advent song, "Behold a Virgin Bearing Him":

Behold a virgin bearing him
Who comes to save us from our sin;
The prophets cry: prepare his way!
Make straight his paths to Christmas Day.
Behold our Hope and Life and Light,
The promise of the holy night;
We lift our prayer and bend our knee
To his great love and majesty.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Today is a special feast day, the feast of the Patroness of the United States: the Immaculate Conception. Below is the very beautiful Introit from the Mass of today.

Happy Feast Day!

I have remarked upon my affection for St. Nicholas before on this blog, making particular mention of the story of himself and Arius at the Counsel of Nicea. I shall not rehash the story, fond as I am of it, but I shall share with you all a fine old icon of the event:

I am intending to celebrate St. Nicholas's day right properly, by placing his picture in a place of honour, lighting a candle before it, and brewing up a Bisschopswijn by way of making merry, for all it is still the season of Advent. It is only fitting that a saint with so warm and strong a spirit should have his day marked with the drinking of warm and strong spirits. I shall, however, refrain as far as possible from giving blows to persons who eminently deserve them.

November 30th

Well, golly! To my amazement, I did it. I managed to write better than 50,000 words this month - 50,377, to be exact - and so have fulfilled the challenge of National Novel Writing Month. The thing I have created cannot properly be called a novel. That is far too grandiose a title. What I actually have is a rough draft - and exceedingly rough draft, of something that will potentially be a novel someday. (Soon hopefully.) Still, this is something of a mile-stone for me, as I actually have all the key point of the novel written out, with a proper beginning, middle and end. It is the closest I have ever come to actually writing one of those books I am always threatening to write, and as I result, I am feeling so pleased with myself that I am going to indulge in a little bit of blowing my own horn. I present to you all, my award:

On a totally unrelated note, today is the feast day of St. Andrew, who is the patron saint of Scotland. Being the ardent Scotophile that I am, I celebrated the day, at least in a small way. I am the owner of a very fine Royal Scots cap badge:

which I pinned in my hair, along with a white rose, which I generally break out on days of Scottish national import, since the white rose - along with the thistle - is the national flower of Scotland. I wore my little pin with the American flag on one side, and the Scottish flag on the other. Oddly enough, though St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and has been since the Battle of Bannockburn, and though the Scottish flag is a composed of a blue field, with a white, St. Andrew's cross emblazoned on it, St. Andrew's day is not really a big deal in Scotland. No doubt we have the Covanenters and their legacy to thank for that, and it is rather a shame. I wanted to post a video or a music clip in praise of St. Andrew, but decent music in honour of this great saint and apostle is very hard to find. There is a polyphonic Gregorian chant in his honour here for those who are interested.

Catching Up

I have been neglecting this blog dreadfully. I apologise. I have been taking part in National Novel Writing Month instead. Yes, that is correct. I am endeavouring to write a 50,000 word novel this month. Why, you ask, when I can barely keep up with my blog? Well, insanity, for starters; a desire to force myself to write, even if I don't want to; a need for some mental distraction from the travails of Life; and a sudden, mad urge to prove that I was up to the challenge.

I must admit I have been fighting to keep up with the daily word goals. To reach 50,000 words by November 30th, I must average 1,667 words a day. I don't always manage that. Indeed, I am spending a good deal of time falling behind - and being informed by my handy word tracker, that I shall not be finished until December 2nd... December 4th... December 6th! And then, thank heaven, the weekend comes, and I apply myself to serious catching up, and manage to obtain the happy forecast of finishing by the appointed date of November 30th. At present, I am pleased to say, I am set to finish on time. Wish me luck.