O ORIENS

Sr. Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ

"O DAYSPRING"  O RADIANT DAWN, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.”

Isaiah 9:1: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone". The sun which rises in the east is a harbinger of the light which dispels the darkness.

Jesus is indeed the true light, the radiance of his Father's splendor. We pray this daily in the Benedictus at Lauds (the morning prayer), joining in the words of Zechariah: "He, the Dayspring, shall visit us in his mercy to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death"  (Luke 1:78).

Linda Henke

Today’s O Antiphon, my favorite to sing,  is a surprise as it departs from the familiar pattern of the other "O"s: the Veni coming, as it were, out of the depths: do-fa-mi. "Today, our Veni has a certitude, a note of triumph, the beginning of a jubilation. It is as if the first rays of the Dayspring are already illuminating our eyes and warming our faces. Today, our cry Veni is sung on la-sol, right after the musical summit of the whole antiphon. Picture this: you have climbed to a mountain peak before sunrise and there, as you survey the dark horizon, you catch the first rosy glimmers of the dawn. From your mountain height you give voice to the cry of your heart: Veni! But the cry comes from one who already sees the light." (Dom Mark Daniel Kirby, Prior of  Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, County Meath, Ireland.)

In the Mass for the day we pray from Malachi (3:19): Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven...and the day that us coming will set them on fire..but for you who fear My Name, there will arise the Sun of Justice with His healing rays.