Go here to view a striking version of this hymn.
Something for the weekend. Veni, Veni Emmanuel. The words of this magnificent hymn are from the 9th century and the melody is from 15th century France. It is more familiar these days in its English translation. Below is a powerful version that has great meaning for me. After the death of my son Larry on Pentecost Sunday 2013 I found it of immense comfort. Christ is Our Way, Our Truth and Our Everlasting Life.
- Veni, veni Emmanuel!
- Captivum solve Israel!
- Qui gemit in exilio,
- Privatus Dei Filio,
- Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
- nascetur per te, Israel.
- Veni o Jesse virgula!
- Ex hostis tuos ungula,
- De specu tuos tartari
- Educ, et antro barathri.
- Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
- nascetur per te, Israel.
- Veni, veni o oriens!
- Solare nos adveniens,
- Noctis depelle nebulas,
- Dirasque noctis tenebras.
- Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
- nascetur per te, Israel.
- Veni clavis Davidica!
- Regna reclude coelica,
- Fac iter Tutum superum,
- Et claude vias Inferum.
- Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
- nascetur per te, Israel.
- Veni, veni Adonai!
- Qui populo in Sinai
- Legem dedisti vertice,
- In maiestate gloriae.
- Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
- nascetur per te, Israel.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice ! Rejoice ! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny ;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice ! Rejoice ! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice ! Rejoice ! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home ;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice ! Rejoice ! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice ! Rejoice ! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Beautiful & consoling, bringing together the birth of Jesus and His coming again, facing death, momento mori…
An addition: there are 7 verses, that accompany the O Antiphons… Sung in chant at the opening of Holy Mass!
When you apply the acrostic, the first letter of each, in reverse order: Ero cras…. “I will be with you tomorrow”…
Christmas eve, but also the end of time…
Thus, make sure we include all seven verses, otherwise the meaning is not fully complete!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Don, I know you do this, I know you know this, look forward to your family reunited in heaven for an eternal Christmas celebration.. and don’t forget the “prayer deal” of the Mystical Body of Christ: I pray for you and your family, you pray for mine.
And can anyone tell me the symbolism of the unique ginger positioning of the fingers of Jesus and Mary in Bougersus painting?
Merry Mary ChristmAs! Guy, Texas
Sorry for misspelling. It is Bougereau.
Guy, I just did a slightly-deep dive on that question, and I found that the gesture is pretty common, and associated with Mannerism. Do a google search on “Loyolan hand gesture art” and you’ll see a lot of examples. It’s sometimes called Loyolan because it’s often seen with the hand pressed against the chest, which is associated with St. Ignatius Loyola and a gesture of repentance.
I saw it described as representing the golden ratio, and I know that art composition involves a lot of triangles. It seems to be an indication of high station. Artists frequently copy or refer to each other’s work.
The bad news, no one can agree on its origin or meaning. Worse news, the internet is filled with Dan Brown wannabes who know the “secret” meaning of everything. The personal good news is that this picture helped me track down a very similar painting by the same artist, “Regina Angelorum”. I’ve always loved that work.