The O Antiphons, so named because each one begins with the exclamation "O," are refrains sung with the Magnificat during vespers in the final days of Advent.  Each antiphon –- there are seven –- is a prayer for the coming of the Messiah under a different title drawn from the Hebrew scriptures: O Wisdom, O Adonai, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Morning Star, O King of the Nations, O Emmanuel.  The first letter of each of the Latin titles read backwards, forms the sentence, “Tomorrow, I will come.”  They give a sense of urgency to the final days before Christmas.  Through the centuries, these antiphons have become familiar to us through the hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” the hymn which will conclude our celebration this Sunday.

This Sunday’s readings also signal urgency.  The first reading from the prophet Micah tells of one who will come forth to rule the earth:  “He shall be peace.”  We will pray through Psalm 80, "Let us see your face and we shall be saved.”  The letter to the Hebrews has us reflect upon the one who said, “Behold, I come to do your will.”  In the Gospel, Elizabeth “filled with the Holy Spirit” cries out to Mary, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
 
In contrast to this urgency, two of our sung prayers are somewhat subdued in their musical setting.  “Each Winter as the Year Grows Older” has an especially powerful text.  It takes us from the very human experience of doubt when confronting the realities of the consequence of sin to an affirmation of faith and hope.  “My Soul in Stillness Waits,” like “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” is a lyrical paraphrase of the O Antiphons.  This song articulates the great Advent dilemma:  our longing that Christ quickly come and our task to wait patiently for that coming.

Sunday’s Gospel  reading is a kind of O Antiphon.  It ends just before Mary sings her song of praise to God:  the Magnificat.  Unlike the O Antiphons, this Gospel passage expresses assurance rather than longing.  As we come to the end of our Advent journey, we sing “People, Look East” and “Wait for the Lord” –- recurring song companions on this journey.  They  express assurance, and give voice to our hope that what was spoken to Mary by the Lord, and through her to us, will be fulfilled.