Jesus is Wisdom

During Advent, members of the A Nun’s Life community will be posting reflections on the Jesse Tree and the O Antiphons.

Day 17 :: O Sapientia (O Wisdom) written by Wren

"Sophia, Divine Wisdom" - Gouache and gold leaf on sculpted board, written by Mary Plaster 2003

December 17 marks the beginning of the “octave before Christmas”, when the seven “O Antiphons” are recited before the Magnificat during Vespers during the Liturgy of the Hours.

Catholic SAT words FTW! Let’s engage in a little clarification, shall we?

To begin with, the Liturgy of the Hours are prayers said at certain times of the day; usually this means you are praying the Divine Office, which are the official prayers sanctioned by the Catholic church. However, some people pray other prayers during these times that are not the Divine Office, though most Catholics use these terms interchangeably (kind of like “nun” and “sister”). If you were to pray the full Liturgy of the Hours, there are seven times in the day for prayers: The Office of Readings, otherwise known as Vigils or Matins, which in modern times may be prayed at any time of day, but traditionally are prayed at midnight. Next comes Morning Prayer, AKA Lauds, which nowadays is prayed any time between 6 and 11AM, and traditionally was prayed at dawn. Then Midmorning Prayer, AKA Terce, prayed at about 9AM. Midday Prayer (AKA Sext) is next, which is prayed around noon. Then Midafternoon Prayer is prayed around 3PM, and Evening Prayer, AKA Vespers, currently is prayed between 4 and 11PM but traditionally prayed between 3 to 6PM. Night Prayer, AKA Compline, is prayed before bedtime. Not everyone who prays the Liturgy of the Hours prays all seven hours, but some do. And no, each prayer does not take an hour: the word “hour” here is somewhat like saying “o’clock”. It’s like saying a store is open “round the clock” or “24 hours”: the LotH are formal prayers prayed around the clock.

So in the case of the O Antiphons, we are talking about something recited (or chanted) during Evening Prayer.

The Magnificat, which is Latin for “[my soul] magnifies,” is also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary. It is taken from Luke 1:46-55, where Mary says: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.” (RSV)

Each of the O Antiphons highlights one of the titles for the Messiah. We start with O Sapientia, which means O Wisdom: “O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.”

So, now that we all know what the O Antiphons are, and when they are prayed, let’s talk about why they are prayed. During Advent, we are anticipating and celebrating the forthcoming arrival of Jesus. As we get closer, the O Antiphons are a way to meditate on some of the many attributes of Jesus, examining one per day. Today, on the first day of the octave, we meditate on “Jesus is wisdom.”

As part of my Advent meditations, I began reading Matthew straight through, and am reminded of John the Baptist: he had prophesized that one greater than he would soon come, and when Jesus sought him out to be baptized, he seemed surprised, recognizing right away Jesus’ wisdom, when he said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” In modern sci-fi terms, this would be like Yoda asking Luke to teach him about the force, and Luke saying, “But you’re Yoda.” Did I just reference Star Wars when talking about the gospel? Yes, yes I did.

There are certain figures in life that everyone can see their wisdom. Do you need to be Buddhist to think the Dalai Lama is a pretty wise man? Of course not. Did John need to witness all the miracles that Jesus had not yet performed or the resurrection in order to know how wise he was? Nope. He recognized him for what he was. Later in the gospel, while in jail, John sends word through his disciples asking if indeed Jesus is the Messiah when he hears of Jesus’ many deeds (Matt. 11:2-6), which means that he recognized Jesus’ wisdom before he even knew for certain that he was the one (I will refrain from making a Matrix reference here).

As we contemplate the impending arrival of Jesus at Christmas, take a moment to meditate on Jesus’ wisdom in your life. How does it manifest? Do you take comfort in his teachings in the gospel? Do you work to seek his direction in your life?

Happy Advent!

* * Want to revisit the other symbols of Advent? Click here on Jesse Tree. * *

Join the nuns and community for prayer tonight at 6 p.m. CT at aNunsLife.org/live.

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Tagged as: jesse tree, o antiphons, sapientia, wisdom, wren