Friday, December 22, 2023

O Ruler of All Nations

The Great Antiphons are responses to the praying of the Magnificat in the Vespers service, during the last week of Advent.  So, to put the antiphon more properly in its liturgical context:

My soul extols the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has shown consideration for the lowly stature of his slave. As a consequence, from now on every generation will congratulate me; the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name, and his mercy will come to generation after generation of those who fear him. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has put the arrogant to rout, along with their private schemes; he has pulled the mighty down from their thrones, and exalted the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, as he spoke to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. (Luke 1:46-56, SV)

 O Ruler of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart, O Keystone of the mighty arch of humankind: Come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.


Praise to the Lord, the God of Israel For he has turned to his people and set them free.

 He has raised for us a strong deliverer from the house of his servant David. 

So he promised: age after age he proclaimed by the lips of his holy prophets, 

that he would deliver us from our enemies, out of the hands of all who hate us; 

that, calling to mind his solemn covenant, he would deal mercifully with our fathers.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, 

to rescue us from enemy hands and set us free from fear, so that we might worship 

in his presence in holiness and righteousness our whole life long. 

And you, my child, will be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will be the Lord's forerunner, to prepare his way

and lead his people to a knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins:

for in the tender compassion of our God the dawn from heaven will break upon us,

to shine on those who live in darkness, under the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

--Luke 1:69-79, REB

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