From a very young age, Catherine felt a strong attraction to prayer and service to others. At the age of sixteen, she entered the Dominican Third Order and dedicated her life to prayer, penance and caring for the sick and needy. .... Like St. Dominic what most characterized St. Catherine’s life and spirituality was her love of Christ and her passion for the Cross. For her, the Cross was the way to union with God and the source of salvation.

In The life of St. Catherine of Siena, the saint’s biographer and confessor, Blessed Raymond of Capua, recounts a time in which while sharing a lengthy conversation with the saint on God and various spiritual matters, he found himself, “being weighed down by the weight of flesh”, and eventually succumbing to sleep.

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We have now reached day seven and our final ‘O’ antiphon. Emmanuel, which means “God with us” is more than a title- it is a promise, a truth, and a comfort- it is the heart of the Christian mystery.

From the very beginning, God has desired to dwell among His people. ...

O King, whom all people desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one. O come and save us whom you made from clay.

While reflecting on this ‘O Antiphon’, I was reminded of a recent lecture that we shared as a community on some significant ecumenical councils, specifically the Council of Florence that was held between the years 1439- 1445. This council was an attempt to reconcile the already centuries old divide between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

As we continue our reflections on the O Antiphons, I’d like to read a quotation from a commentary ‘Year of Grace’: “Not sacred history but nature inspires today’s antiphon. The sun as a symbol of Christ is one of the finest figures in Sacred Scripture and the liturgy. He is the Rising Sun. ...

O Key of David and sceptre of Israel,
what you open no one else can close again;
what you close no one can open.
O come to lead the captive from prison;
free those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death.

It would be difficult to reflect on this antiphon as this Holy Year of Hope draws to a close without making the connction to the Jubilee Year and the significance of the Holy Door.

All our Advent O antiphons apply to Jesus our Saviour the most magnificent titles drawn form the Messianic prophecies and throw light on the various prerogatives of His salvific work. ...

O Adonai, is a title that bring us to the innermost depths of God’s mystery. It draws attention to the extraordinary paradox of Christmas, hidden in the Hebrew language. The word Adon signifies a master, a free man who has self-control. Its opposite is Ewed — slave. The Incarnation is the moment when ...