When I was a boy I was fascinated by the entry in the calendar that says of December 17 "O Sapientia". No one ever really referred to it or did anything on it.It was only a dozen or so years later that I found it marked the beginning of the earnest Christmas preparation....and each day has a special song (or antiphon) to sing in Evening Prayer before the Magnificat which is sung (or used to be sung) each day during that service.
Welll....to cut a long story short these begin on December 17 with O Sapientia...O Wisdom and culminate on Christmas Eve with O Emmanuel...for obvious reasons.
So the earnest countdown begins today. The Blessed J who loves (or loveth) to sing plainsong will enjoy singing O Sapientia today so the music is provided.
I wonder what other O's there should be [the traditional ones are powerful see here if you are inclined).
But I think also of:
O Jeff!...who will probably not see another Christmas and who I must see tomorrow.
O Carol!...the carol service tonight needs to come out of my mind and into reality
O Dear!...yes there are still half a dozen presents to buy and I will have to brave O Traffic! and O Parking! at O Westfield!
O misericordiae!...have not yet connected with my confessor
O joy! O rapture! O love unbounded! (G&S fans will understand)...it's is such a hoot of a season. Really fun and really serious.
2 comments:
In Relgious Communities, where these days have plainsong music for them, they are called the Great O's because each one starts as you say with O, and in plainsong, the O goes OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO for ever, before you get to the next word.
Lots of fun
Have completed O Jeff (a bit sad) and O Tom (not previously mentioned...but he is in good health)
O Carol went really well.
O Dear is half completed and O Parking at Westfield was not too bad when I arrived but bedlam as I left...someone pleased to get my prime spot. [please don't make me go again]
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