THE TREE OF JESSE

 O RADIX JESSE  (December 19)

Latin: O radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum,] super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem Gentes deprecabuntur veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

English O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

From Isaah  11:1  we read:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;  

 from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

    or decide by what he hears with his ears;
 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

The above illuminated manuscript from the 13 century depicts the genealogy of Jesus, as Jesse reclines at the base of the tree. Some of Jesus’ ancestors appear up the tree, King David is among them. The Virgin Mother is above him and Jesus and the Holy Spirit appear at the top. Often the Virgin is seen holding the Child Jesus as seen below in the lovely wood panel from the lectern at Lourdes.