Keep your O! O Adonai.

“O Adonai and Prince of the house of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the fire of the flaming bush and you gave to him the Law on Mount Sinai. Come, Lord, O come to redeem us, come with your mighty arm.” —Magnificat antiphon for December 18

Adonai translates to Lord in the Old Testament. It was the name given to God since no one could call God by his name.

We are infused with Advent hope in this O antiphon for the nameless God reveals himself!

In the burning bush, we meet God. The bush is on fire but not consumed. It foreshadows the Only Begotten Son in his Incarnation. On fire and not consumed is a way of understanding the divine nature in a human being.

In the burning bush, God reveals his name for a particular purpose. Pope Benedict XVI said,

“To give one’s name means to enter with another. The revelation of the divine name, then, means that God, infinite and self-subsistent, enters into the network of human relationships; that he comes out of himself, so to speak, and becomes one of us, present among us and for us.”

The revelation of Adonai opens us up to a new relationship, a new mission! This revelation is seen in the poorest part of the world … in the little town of Bethlehem.

Do we dare kneel at the wonder of how the Almighty One becomes a baby? The Almighty, on fire but not consumed, draws near to us. I am sure the angels knelt in such amazement!

For your meditation this day. From the monks of Saint John’s Abbey:

The burning bush is also an image of Mary (CCC 724). She is consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit. She gives flesh to the Only Begotten Son. O Mary, burning flame of my heart, lead me to adore the Holy One in your womb at Christmas. Amen.