"O Lord and Ruler the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and redeem us with outstretched arms." (Exodus 3:1-8; 20:1-20; Deuteronomy 26:5-9)
Sr. Joan Chittister, who is a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA, has a brief but lovely meditation on that antiphon:
"When we build a vision of life it is necessary to realize that Jesus must be the center of it—not our institutions, good as they may be; not our plans or personal talents, necessary as they are."
Her sisters suggest that saying The Lord's Prayer is a good way to meditate on the Second O Antiphon.
Here's another: Light a candle and read the story of the burning bush in Exodus 3, to remind you of the way God was revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai, and the way Moses was given the Ten Commandments, “in cloud and majesty and awe”. When and how does God appear to us today? When have you felt the nearer presence of God?
Today also happens to be the birthday of Charles Wesley, the Anglican priest who wanted to reform the Church of England to be centered more in justice but whose work (“method”), instead, started a movement today known as the denomination called Methodism.
Wesley published more than a staggering 4,400 hymns during his lifetime and left behind several thousand more. His hymns include "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing," "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," and "Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown."
"Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown" was originally published as "Wrestling Jacob," and is often considered Wesley's masterpiece. Wesley wrote:
Come, O Thou Traveler unknown,
Whom still I hold but cannot see;
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with Thee;
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.
Personally? I think that's a great meditation on The Second Antiphon. Here it is, set to a familiar tune: https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/560
I hope something good happens to you today.
Bom dia.
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