Guys in Green

Hello from my Men in Green!!  The little man turned TWO YEARS old a week ago. Can you believe it?  It's going to be tricky to celebrate his birthday well in coming years, being so close to Christmas and all. We'll have to figure out a good plan for his day.  Two birthdays the week or so before Christmas and two birthdays the week after Christmas. It's a whirlwind! 

We are in the midst of the O Antiphons right now. Ancient evenings prayers (vespers) leading up to Christmas Day. These antiphons were later refashioned a bit for the classic Christmas carol, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." We try to listen to the antiphons sung in Latin and follow along. After dinner we read the prayers, sing the song, have someone place the gold antiphon square in the house (the house filled with the glorious names of our Lord), and then the kids all have a chocolate coin with the antiphon symbol of the day stuck to it.  

 

Today's: O Oriens (Dayspring)

O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Isaiah had prophesied, The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.

Corresponding verse in "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death's dark shadows put to flight.