Good Morning Friends & Digital Neighbors! Hello ADD Irregulars and Patrons & Vagabonds of the Weird Shit Niche'! Hey there Refugees, Phamily, Triggeratti & Seekers! Happy Friday Dawn Patrol, Early Birds, Later Dayers, Conversants, Lurkers, Fascinating People, Merry Bigot clad in holiday suits, Supporters, Members and all the rest of ya's! Happy Friday and Double Eve of Christmas! Way better than double rainbow! 🌈🌈

Emmanuel - God with us. The name Jesus never gets called because Christians claim that is who He is. Obviously not everyone is a subscriber to the God-Man, I get it. Jesus or no Jesus, I hope you acknowledge some sort of Higher Power - higher something or someone in your life. If the fluid pronouner staring back at you in the mirror is your higher good, higher power, shooting for the stars is not exactly your thing.

I can't imagine any human people going through life without a higher purpose. NOT - I think there are far too many people going through life with nothing greater than personal preference, the emotions of the moment, and the imposition of will on whatever is in your path. I think such a decision and path can make greyscale souls content, but the vibrancy of life will be missed and I doubt it will ever be known. Even as I type this, I realize I could among the self-deceived and delusional, but I think the rest of my life and conversations bespeak some sort of rationality and reason. (I know limited and certainly questionable if you spend enough time with me.) 🤪 Again this is not stealth proselytizing, everyone has their own path provided by their own navigation system and the questions they are willing to ponder. We all ought to do some wrestling with the Mysterium in the dark hours of the night. It can be life changing, it was for Jacob of Biblical fame. The Mysterium seems much happier with contentious souls than lip-servicing lackies. I don't think the Divine wants non-stop contention, some never know when to celebrate the win, accept the arrival and must find a new battle and a new hill. There is a point when the battle is to maintain and secure what we treasure than find another injustice to battle. SJWs no longer even get mentioned much these days - they are been parasitized by WOKE activism so much you don't even hear people mention them.

God with us. GOD - a lot of weight in those three letters for a Being that may not exist. I of course do believe, but I know many more who don't, or if they do believe, It, He, Them, the belief doesn't really matter. Again no judgment, but there is puzzled disappointment if you believe in something that doesn't really matter, shrug I guess I'd be asking why bother? 60% to 70% of Catholics don't when it comes to worship which should be natural response when one gets the message. God doesn't need worship, His children do. Worship is the cultivating of our heart to yield a harvest in this life and the next. It is acknowledging the Divine, in Cath-O-Land, there is a dance of humble contrition, attentive listening, grateful remembering, and mystical communion for those with opened hearts and awakened souls. Sure there are commandments, every family has them, but transformation and imitation are the real workings of worship, faith, spirituality. those are three different realities but all interconnected. People complains often about religion and all the problems it has brough to the world, might I suggest a more honest and humble target - humanity. Religion is just the tool when humanity goes on the warpath, when darker currents move our hearts. The real good of a good religion is to transform those darker realities, not justify them.

Almost Merry Christmas! Here is some final history on the O Antiphons. Thanks for indulging this more devotional side of my life in preparation for Christmas. Whatever the next 72 hours hold for you, I hope there is some brush with joy, some small taste of peace, the presence of a few vibrant souls that accept you as you are, warts and all.

What are the O Antiphons?

Antiphon - a short passage, usually from the Bible, recited or sung as a preface or response before and/or after certain parts of a liturgical service, usually a Psalm.

The “O Antiphons” are traditionally read or chanted during the evening daily prayers (Vespers) on the final 7 nights of Advent leading up to Christmas Eve (December 17th - 23rd). They often precede the “Magnificat”, known as the Song of Mary. Each of the 7 Antiphons is based on a name or attribute of Christ found in the writings of the prophet Isaiah. The well known Advent carol, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” was based on the O Antiphons with each verse corresponding to one of the antiphons.

Various current and former members of our fellowship have written a reflective devotional for each one of these antiphons. We then recorded these meditations along with the corresponding antiphon. That is followed by the appropriate verse of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and the “Magnificat” or Song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55).

We hope that you will take a few minutes each day on the week leading up to Christmas to listen, pray, and meditate on the real meaning of the season; God’s salvation to us through Jesus Christ!

*THE O ANTIPHONS

December 17th - O Sapientia (O WISDOM)
December 18th - O Adonai (O ADONAI)
December 19th - O Radix Jesse (O ROOT OF JESSE)
December 20th - O Clavis David (O KEY OF DAVID)
December 21st - O Oriens (O MORNING STAR)
December 22nd - O Rex Gentium (O KING OF NATIONS)
December 23rd - O Emmanuel (O EMMANUEL)

The beginning letters of the titles of the “O Antiphons” when taken backward form the acrostic, ERO CRAS which translated from Latin means “Tomorrow, I will come.” This reflects the theme of Advent. *

Clever little Monks. 😉 Happy Friday Dear Friends!