Advent 2015: Week 1

Well, it's been a year since Sr. Karol Ann's (aka Anna) Dad last posted....... 


Sr. Karol Ann is mid-way through her 2nd year as Novice.  If you do not frequent the blog or Facebook of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, you can find some of their activities this year here: http://ssfpa.org/blog/


I'll again post Sr. Karol Ann's Advent reflections she sent us before Advent started, as she cannot send our receive mail during Advent. 

Advent 2015

I remember the "O Antiphons" from growing up, especially from the Jesse tree that we sometimes did and of course the song "O come, O come Emmanuel." One of the gifts of religious life is how the Liturgy orders each day - you are really able to enter into the Prayer of the Church - and it is so rich during Advent!  Through the Liturgy of the Hours and the Mass, the anticipation for the coming of Christ builds, and the excitement gets so strong when the O Antiphons begin in the daily Gospel acclimations and antiphons for the Magnificat at Evening Prayer starting December 17. For Advent this year, I decided to focus on these O Antiphons - feel free to read them spaced out through all of Advent.  I read that in Latin, the first letters of the titles, read in reverse order, form the acrostic "ERO CRAS", which means "I will be with you tomorrow".  What a great reminder!

Sapientia: "O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and reached from end to end, and disposed of all things sweetly and mightily: come and teach us the way of prudence."

"He has uncovered the whole way of understanding and has given wisdom to Jacob, his servant, to Israel, his beloved." - Baruch 3:37


When I was a postulant, Fr. Georges pointed out how this O Antiphon invokes the whole Trinity:

• God the Father disposes all things mightily
• God the Son teaches us the way of prudence
• God the Holy Spirit disposes all things sweetly
  (Dad's comment: how do you remember that from 2 years ago?)

As I was praying about wisdom, I couldn't help but think of Solomon who asked for wisdom when he could have chosen anything else.  During this Advent, I will be praying especially for wisdom for family and friends - to know and follow God's will in all things, especially jobs, retirement and vocations.


Sister Karol Ann