Czechs Brought Their Patron, St. Wenceslaus, to the U.S.
O Sapientia (O Wisdom), Come
Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash
The final days of anticipation have arrived and are marked by the “O Antiphons” – a 10-day series of short chants expressing the hopes for a Messiah as written about in the Old Testament. Read more about the “O Antiphons” at https://churchwonders.com/2022/12/16/the-os-of-christmas/
The “O Antiphon” today is about wisdom. The Latin word for wisdom is sapientia – and is considered the attribution of humanness to the trait of wisdom. It is a wonderful attribute of the longed-for Messiah over 2,000 years ago, and remains a wonderful trait today.
| Date | Latin Text | English Text |
| Dec 17 | O Sapientia, O sanctum Verbum Dei, cunctam creaturam tua adhuc tenera cura valida gubernas. Veni, et ostende populo tuo viam salutis. |
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. |
The words of the Prophet Isaiah are particularly associated with Advent and these passages speak to the wisdom of the coming Messiah:
Isaiah 11:1-3
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A spirit of counsel and of strength,
a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,
and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 28:29
This too comes from the LORD of hosts;
wonderful is his counsel and great his wisdom.
The Book of Proverbs has numerous references to wisdom – here are two:
Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Proverbs 4:5
Get wisdom, get understanding!
Do not forget or turn aside from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
love her, and she will safeguard you;
The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom;
whatever else you get, get understanding.
Extol her, and she will exalt you;
she will bring you honors if you embrace her;
She will put on your head a graceful diadem;
a glorious crown will she bestow on you.
References
All websites were accessed on or about 12-16-2022 and are considered to be useful, reliable and secure, but users should view the websites at their own discretion.
Google Translate - Latin-English translations
The Divine Office - https://divineoffice.org/1217-adv-w04-sun-ep1/?date=20221217
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – https://bible.usccb.org/bible - Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
More Stories:
About the Author
J. John is a Catholic church enthusiast who writes about churches that he has visited (or hopes to) - the places where the physical and the sacred intersect. His content gravitates toward the architecture, artifacts, art and history of the sites; as well as the related saints, devotions and liturgical aspects of the venues.
If you have a favorite church, shrine or sacred space, he'd love to hear from you!
Website: https://churchwonders.com
Email: info@churchwonders.com
