Tag Archives: Advent

O Antiphons ~ Adonai

O Adonai and leader of Israel, you appeared to Moses in a burning bush and you gave him the law on Mount Sinai. O come and stretch out your mighty hand to redeem us. In the O Antiphons, the ancient song of waiting and expectation, the second title given to the Christ (or Light, orContinueContinue reading “O Antiphons ~ Adonai”

The Waiting ~ A Poem of Advent

For all who wait in hope for the coming Light. Blessings, Rosemary The Waiting For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear. I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13 O, Isaiah, ancient prophet of doom, prophet of ancient hope,your proclamations resound like cymbalsjarring thisContinueContinue reading “The Waiting ~ A Poem of Advent”

Darkness into Light: A Poem for Advent

“Light your candles quietly, such candles as you possess, wherever you are.” ~ Fr. Alfred Delp, martyred in Nazi Germany, age 38 As we enter the darkest time of year, my hope and prayer is that each of us will shine the light we have been given, be the light for one another. Blessings toContinueContinue reading “Darkness into Light: A Poem for Advent”

The Vespers and a Poem for Advent

Many of us are familiar with the Advent hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, composed as we know it in 1861 but with roots sunk as far back as the Roman Catholic monastic life of the 8th century.  Not as many of us are familiar with the ancient O Antiphons, on which the hymn isContinueContinue reading “The Vespers and a Poem for Advent”

Whatever is Lovely

As we seek the Light through the experience of joy this week, the ancient guide Paul of the Bible’s New Testament arrives with a message:  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.ContinueContinue reading “Whatever is Lovely”

The Meaning of Joy in Advent

In the Christian tradition, the focus or theme of the third week of the four-week season of Advent is joy.  In this dark time of year, in a “holiday” season that for many of us will be different from what it has ever been before, where do we find joy?  If this is our firstContinueContinue reading “The Meaning of Joy in Advent”

Loss of a Mother in December

Today marks the sixth anniversary of my mother’s death.  Catherine H. Rice, as she always called herself, was 94 when she died due to complications from Parkinson’s and dementia.  Her illness was what a friend accurately called “the long goodbye” as this woman who was once the matriarch and centerpiece of the house slowly gaveContinueContinue reading “Loss of a Mother in December”