Brightest Jewels

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations and their Salvation:
come and save us, O Lord our God.
​​Divine Worship: The Missal

‘The theme here is the same as in the preceding antiphon. Our real lawgiver is Christ, who has liberated us from the yoke of the Law. Jews and pagans together await him as King and Saviour.

These antiphons express the theology of Advent and are the season’s brightest jewels. The incarnation of the Son, salvation, the pursuit of our redemption until the end of time - these are the constant themes of Advent theology. From them we can see that the celebration of Advent, like that of Christmas, has its true centre in the paschal mystery, wherein the death and resurrection of Christ accomplishes our salvation’.

​from The Liturgical Year, 1977, by Adrien Nocent OSB, 1913-1996