Thursday, December 17, 2015

O Sapienta


O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong, yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.


Today we begin the O Antiphons, or what may be called the ‘primordial praise names’1 for Christ that herald the last days before Christmas.  We begin by invoking the name ‘Wisdom’ – a wisdom “who orders all things mightily, giving us the path of knowledge, and guiding creation with power and love.”

Nature’s order is perhaps best found in the reoccurrence of the Fibonacci number.  You see this in a spiraling seashell or the unfurling of a new leaf.  This numbering sequence is often called ‘God’s fingerprint’ for occurs everywhere and is applicable to the growth of every living thing – from a grain a wheat, to our own DNA.

As captivating as these incredible sequences are to ponder mathematically, what is striking is the ethereal beauty of the pine cone or whirled flower.  That is the space where I gasp “O” and stand in awe at the handiwork of God in beauty, function, order…of how God's dwelling place is right here, right now, among you and me. Emmanuel!

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.


1Tessa Bielecki   Season of Glad Songs

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