Below, the complete text of the hymn. I find myself singing it while I prepare my home--after several years of not managing to get a tree (by Gaudete Sunday all the trees are gone) we got one earlier this Advent and had so much fun decorating it. It's been lovely to have the fresh Frasier fir in the house. My nativity set is all over the place--only the shepherd is in the creche :) I've also prepared a batch of Swedish glug (my father-in-law's recipe) and it is so delicious to sip it warm in the evenings as we watch the cats playing with the ornaments. We'll have a full house with the kids and as in several Christmases past, find myself again on deadline...so trying to remember to do a bit of work each day. May you have peace and joy as you prepare for these holy days and be comforted in knowing that our Lord comes to be with us in the messiness of our lives, to free us from sin, to make us whole again.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
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. Refrain
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times once gave the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
thine own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory over the grave. Refrain
O come, thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery. Refrain
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. Refrain
O come, Desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind;
bid thou our sad divisions cease,
and be thyself our King of Peace. Refrain
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear. Refrain
As much as it is fun to have Christmas concerts and parties, I'm grateful they are behind us so that we can regain the quietness of Advent. In our Catholic community, the real partying begins after Midnight Mass and lasts throughout the Octaves of Christmas and Epiphany!!! This week is actually ember week--with days of fasting.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
No comments:
Post a Comment