Information and backgorund regarding Advent, the Novena and the O Antiphons
About Advent
At the beginning of the liturgical year the Church celebrates the mystery of the expectation of the coming of the Messiah! This time takes place over the 4 Sundays prior to December 25th, Christmas! Generally beginning on the Sunday closest to December 30th. It is a time to prepare our hearts and souls for the second coming of the Messiah at the end or our earthly lives and at the end of time. It is also preparation for the commemoration of the arrival of the Messiah and the everlasting kingdom of God.
Season of Preparation and Penance
Advent, like lent, is a solemn season of prayer and penance, although not as intense as lent. Advent’s spirit of expectation is that of preparing, quieting, and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas. As in lent, the interior spirit of penance by the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers of the church insist above all in three forms, fasting, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others, prayer and almsgiving.
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The final days of Advent
The last 8 days are days of special preparation and anticipation of the Nativity of the Infant Jesus. Expressed in many ways across the centuries Christians anticipate more keenly the birth of Our Lord in Bethlehem; nativity scenes, pageants & songs such as O come, O come Emanuel.
The O antiphons have been prayed for many centuries and have deep roots in the messianic prophecies of the first testament.
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About this Novena
This Novena was first published in 1743 as the “Novena de Aguinaldos”, in Bogota, Colombia. The Novena prayers and daily meditations were written by Fray Fernando Larrea Jesus, born in Quito, Ecuador, in 1700, who after his ordination in 1725 was a preacher in both Ecuador and Colombia. He wrote the prayers at the request of the founder the School, La Enseñansa , Clemencia Caycedo Jesus Velez in Bogota.
The current translation is from a booklet published November 21, 1952, in Medellin, Colombia which received the Imprimatur from the Archdiocese of Medellin. This version, which kept much of the old Spanish of the 18 Century and includes a version of the O Antiphons called “Los Gozos” added at a later date, is one of the most beloved versions in use today. It was originally translated into English by Cecilia Royals in 1978 and has had minor revisions over the years. The purpose is to keep the “original Spanish flavor and the devotional meaning of the original authors so as not to loose any of the spirit which received the imprimatur.