One week to go! O yikes! O antiphons!

... but it is still Advent and sometimes that fact gets lost in the preparatory rush for the 'big day'.

Here is a suggestion for some final Advent reflections for you.

The 'O Antiphons' (an antiphon is a spoken response in a church service) have traditionally been used - in the Church of England - as antiphons to the Magnificat at Evening Prayer during the period from 17th December to 23rd December. Their precise provenance is not known but they were being used as far back as the sixth century.

Here is a list of them - you can see that they comprise different ways of addressing Jesus.

O Sapientia – O Wisdom – 17th December
O Adonai – O Lord – 18th December (Adonai is actually plural - O Lords)
O Radix Jesse – O Root of Jesse – 19th December
O Clavis David – O Key of David – 20th December
O Oriens – O Sunrise – 21st December
O Rex Gentium – O Sovereign of the nations – 22nd December
O Emmanuel – O Emmanuel - 23rd December (where Emmanuel means 'God with us')

One way that you might consider using them at this time is as a 'prayer-word' during silent meditation. Simply choose one of the O Antiphons - either Latin or English - then close your eyes and repeat slowly your chosen prayer-word. If your mind gets distracted, don't worry, just come back to saying your prayer-word. You will probably find that the rhythm of saying your prayer-word with your breathing seems the most natural way to do this.

The aim in this type of meditiation is to simply rest in God's presence, to be more aware and to be open to the transforming power of God's Spirit. Aim for ten minutes initially, but the duration of this meditative form can be lengthened if and when you become more accustomed to it.

A more detailed description of praying in this way is described here.

The Benedictine monk, John Main, was a great advocate of this style of meditating.