tonight we have a "Brothers & Sisters Special Edition." There is a very old tradition within the Catholic church of singing what are called the "O Antiphons" from December 17th to the 23rd. Each antiphon, or set of sung responses, is built around a name given to Christ: Root of Jesse, Key of David, and so on. The antiphons bring the season of Advent to a conclusion, pointing to Christmas with hope and joy.
The "O Antiphons" are also the basis of the hymn "O Come O Come Emmanuel." I invite you to hear them not as specifically, but not exclusively, Christian articulations of universal hopes and desires.
Below the fold, you'll find the text in both Latin and English, and links to .mp3 versions of each stanza. Take a deep breath, still your heart, and enter into peace.
O Sapientia,
quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter,
suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom,
who proceeds from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching out mightily from end to end,
and sweetly arranging all things:
come to teach us the way of prudence.
O Sapientia (choral)
O Adonai,
et dux domus Israël,
qui Moyse in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.
O Mighty Lord,
and leader of the house of Israël,
who appeared to Moses in the burning bush,
and on Sinai gave him the law,
come to redeem us with outstretched arm.
O Adonai (choral)
O Adonai (solo)
O Radix Jesse,
qui stas in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt reges os suum,
quem gentes deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos,
jam noli tardare
O Root of Jesse,
who stand as a sign for the people,
kings stand silent in your presence,
whom the nations will worship:
come to set us free,
put it off no longer.
O Radix Jesse (choral)
O Radix Jesse (solo)
O Clavis David,
et sceptrum domus Israël,
qui aperis, et nemo claudit,
claudis, et nemo aperuit:
veni, et educ vinctum
de domo carceris,
sedentem in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.
O Key of David,
and scepter of the house of Israel,
you open, and no one shuts,
you shut, and no one opens:
come, and lead the prisoner
from jail.
seated in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
O Clavis David (choral)
O Key of David (solo)
O Oriens,
splendor lucis aeternae,
et sol justitiae:
veni, et illumina
sedentes in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.
O Dawn,
splendor of eternal light,
and sun of justice,
come, and shine on those ,
seated in darkness,
and in the shadow of death.
O Oriens (choral)
O Oriens (solo)
O Rex Gentium,
et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis,
qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem,
quem de limo formasti.
O King of the Nations,
and the one they desired,
keystone,
who makes both peoples one,
come and save mankind,
whom you shaped from the mud.
O Rex Gentium (choral)
O Rex Gentium
O Emmanuel,
Rex et legifer noster,
expectatio gentium,
et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos,
Domine, Deus noster.
O Emmanuel,
the one awaited by the gentiles,
and their Savior:
come to save us,
Lord our God.
O Emmanuel (choral)
And, for comparison: O Come, O Come Emmanuel