Shorter Christian Prayer
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    I'm planning a couple of Vesper services on Monday nights in Advent, one of which falls on December 22. That means I need to use the O antiphon for that day, right?

    Funny thing is, looking through my copy of Shorter Christian Prayer, I can't find the O antiphons in the propers for Advent.

    I know that Shorter Christian Prayer is an abbreviated version of Christian Prayer, which is an abbreviated version of the Liturgy of the Hours. Have its editors just abbreviated out the O antiphons?
  • Dan F.Dan F.
    Posts: 205
    I believe Shorter Christian Prayer only has the propers for Holy Days and some other commonly celebrated feasts. The O Antiphons just occur as the antiphon to the Magnificat on the seven days leading up to Christmas Eve, not on otherwise notable feast days.

    Fr. Z has a great site on the O Antiphons: http://www.wdtprs.com/JTZ/o_antiphons/

    The approved English translation for O Rex Gentium on Dec. 22 is:
    O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.
  • Dan F.Dan F.
    Posts: 205
    See also this link from another discussion.
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    Thanks! That's very helpful.

    WJA
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    Follow-up question:

    Shorter Christian Prayer has propers for each Sunday in Advent and a set of propers for "Monday-Friday in Advent."

    Other than the "O" antiphons, are there any other propers in Christian Prayer specific to December 16-23, or does it just follow the generic "Monday-Friday in Advent" formula like Shorter Christian Prayer?

    WJA
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215
    The reading, responsory, intercessions, and collect are also proper for those days.