O'

Starting today, the O Antiphons begin. Each night in Vespers  (or Evening Prayer) there is always an antiphon before praying the Magnificat. Each Antiphon begins with "O" and uses a distinct title to address Jesus. Each comes from prophecies of Isaias and Micah. The initials, when read backwards, form an acrostic for the Latin "Ero Cras" which means "Tomorrow I come." Those titles for Christ are:

Sapientia: Wisdom

Adonai:  Ruler of the House of Israel

Radix Jesse: Root of Jesse

Clavis David: Key of David

Oriens: Rising Dawn

Rex Gentium: King of the Gentiles

Emmanuel: God with us

Today the O Antiphons are most familiar to us in the hymn "O come, O come Emmanuel".  Each verse of the hymn parallels one of the antiphons. In addition to their use in the Liturgy of the Hours and the gospel acclamation, they have been popularly incorporated into church devotions and family prayer.