The first of the O Antiphons....O Sapientia

 Today begins the First of the O Antiphons


O Sapientia: “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.” Isaiah had prophesied, “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 fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” (11:2-3), and “Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom.” (28:29).

The “O Antiphons” refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours. They cover the special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23, with Dec. 24 being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the Christmas Vigil. 

The above is taken from an article by Fr. William Saunders entitled What are the O Antiphons

Throughout this season of Advent, I have been attending Mass more often, and purchasing an online gift here and there.  But I have not been attending parties, listening to Christmas music, or doing anything particularly Christmasy just yet.  We did pick out our tree last weekend. But we are storing it in the garage until this weekend when we will put it up.

Picking out a tree is always a fun family event!

Today was a big day for me, because I began my serious efforts into preparing my home for Christmas Day.  I began making a note on my web shop that I am in vacation mode.  Then I cleared out my Rosary Workshop/ Dining Room and moved all my supplies to the basement storage room.  (Some day that room will be my permanent workshop...but I have to get better lighting first!)  I washed my kitchen floor, vacuumed, did a little baking and general tidying up.  We brought boxes of Christmas decorations out of storage and moved furniture to accommodate our Christmas tree.  

Throughout this week, our house will become transformed with the Decking of the Halls and the smells of Christmas cookies.  I am rolling up my sleeves and ready to go at it!  And I must say, its a lot of hard work, but I am excited!