Advent - O Antiphons - December 23rd - O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Expected of the nations and their Savior. Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Scripture Reading

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.

Reflection
Immanuel, God is with us. Not a god high above heavens watching dispassionately as humanity struggles with violence and injustice. Not a graven image - the work of human imagination and craftsmanship. But a God beyond human understanding who freely enters the history of his Creation to redeem his people - to bring them to the glory of life in eternity.

What hope does Immanuel offer you - in your own life - and in the life of the world?


Prayer
O Immanuel, you are our king and judge, the One whom the peoples await and their Saviour. O come and save us, Lord our God.

Reflection taken from here.