Originally published at The Catholic Thing

“O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!” This favored Christmas carol is no carol at all. It’s a hymn for the season of Advent – the liturgical season that is about so much more than simply preparing for Christmas. Every evening during the week before Christmas, the Church prays one of what have become known as the great “O Antiphons” before reciting Our Lady’s “Magnificat.”
 

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