composite photo of the O Antiphon banners
Fabric
28x11 feet
O
Sapientia
(at the far left) Ecclesiasticus 24:3
‘O
Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most
High, and reach from one end of the earth to
another, mightily and sweetly ordering all things.’
Wisdom is feminine – Sophia - and her form is
curving and graceful. The Most High gives her voice
and she gathers the seven stars which will become
the Gifts of the Spirit.
O Adonai
(at the far right) Exodus 3:2, Acts 7:30
‘O
Adonai, ruler of the house if Israel, you appeared
to Moses in the fire of the burning bush; on Mount
Sinai you gave him your law: with outstretched arm,
come and redeem us.’ Wisdom mirrors herself and
becomes the ruler of the house of Israel. Because
complementary colors act as they do, the flames
nearly leap off the panel and threaten to devour us;
with outstretched arms we are redeemed.
O Radix Jesse
(second from left) Isaiah 11:1, 10
‘O
Root of Jesse, you stand as an ensign to the
peoples; before you all kings shall keep silence,
all nations bow in worship: come and save us and do
not delay.’ The ‘roots’ reach entirely through the
earth to the ‘Great Abyss’ below; the acts of God
begin to fly through the heavens (read streamers)
and the potent ‘rod of Jesse’ is drawn upward.
O Clavis David
(second from right) Isaiah 22:22
‘O Key
of David, scepter of the house of Israel, you open
and no one closes; you close and no one opens; come
and deliver us from the chains of prison – we who
sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.’ The
‘scepter’ reaches into the earth, hiding the
‘workings of God’ (like a key in a lock) in mystery;
but the chains are already separated and broken,
becoming elegant swirls as they are driven away.
O Oriens
(third from left) Isaiah, 42:6
‘O
Rising Dawn, brightness of the light eternal, sun of
righteousness: come and enlighten those who sit in
darkness and in the shadow of death.’ The “Morning
Star” (Christ) pushes back the layers of darkness,
rising through the wisps of fear to dominate the
heavens.
O Rex Gentium
(third from right) Isaiah 45:8-13
‘O
King of nations and their desire: you are the
cornerstone that binds two into one: come and save
the creature whom you have fashioned from clay.’ The
‘King’ wears a crown we can see through, has ‘arms’
of fire which reach down to grasp clay from the
earth in an act of creation. The nations are lumps,
so little is their importance relative to that of
God.
O Emmanuel
(center) Isaiah 33:22, 7:14
‘O
Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the desire of the
Nations and their salvation: come and save us, O
Lord our God.’ As each Antiphon references the
‘name’ or ‘title’ given to the Messiah in the Old
Testament, so each panel references Christ as the
‘Morning Star’ – a disc of golden yellow which rises
toward the center where it bursts into flame as the
magnificent Emmanuel, God with us, lighting the
world – and beyond.
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