The Angelus was painted by JF Millet (1814-1875) in 1859. His early life was spent in rural France working on the family farm whilst being instructed in the classics by the priests from the local parish. Millet inherited his father’s artistic talent and as a boy copied prints from the Bible and so his artistic […]
In 1823, Saint Paul Outside the Walls basilica, Rome, was destroyed in a terrible fire. During the reconstruction works in 1838, a splendid sarcophagus from the 4th century AD was found near St Paul’s tomb. The beauty and the profound nature of the Biblical scenes that were sculpted on the face of the tomb, has […]
St Francis’ idea to reproduce the scenes of Bethlehem in a crib is a marvellous way of contemplating the mystery of Christmas. One look at the crib stirs our hearts and fills them with the warm glow of hope as we try to imagine the greatness of the mystery of God made man in this […]
Cum ortus fuerit sol de cœlo Videbitis Regem regum procedentem a Patre tamquam sponsum de thalamo suo. The time is fulfilled, the true Sun, Jesus Christ, illuminates our entire existence. He is the true King, the King of Kings, that proceeds fourth at the head of the court of souls who have been saved and […]
O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster. The O Antiphon today exhorts us to invoke the Messiah as Emmanuel, God is with us. This helps us to remember the beautiful and amazing truth of Christmas. God reveals himself with the face of Christ who […]
O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust. Today’s antiphon invites us to invoke the Messiah as “King of the nations” and as the cornerstone of the Church. In this way, we […]
O Oriens, splendor lucis æternæ, et sol justitiæ: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis. This antiphon invokes Christ as a luminous star. When we ponder our lives, we may find much darkness surrounding the future still unknown or the darkness arising from past infidelities or spiritual mediocrity. Jesus is the star that […]
O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israël, qui aperis, et nemo claudit, claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis. Today we call on Jesus as the “Key of David”. Jesus is the key that opens our eyes, that have been obscured by our human […]
O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare. In today’s antiphon we invoke Christ as the “root of Jesse”. A root recalls the foundations without which, life can not exist. It is the same too for us with reference […]
O Adonai, et dux domus Israël, qui Moysi in igne flammæ rubi apparuisti, et in Sinai legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento. We have exclaimed the Lord’s name, “O Adonai” or “O Lord”. This invocation is very beautiful. The citation of “O Adonai” at the start of this antiphon is amazing. […]