Gn 49:2, 8-10/Mt 1:1-17
Psalm Antiphon: O Shepherd that rulest
O shepherd of
O shepherd of
you who know where the water is and spring-green grass.
O shepherd of
You know the clear water and spring-green grass,
the wolf and the snake.
O shepherd of
You know the clear water and spring-green grass.
The wolf and the snake, too, are yours so
come, and make us one in courage and love.
Mantra: Come, guide and comfort us.
Kay McMullen, SNDdeN
[1] “Oh Shepherd” is the first of the great “O” antiphons sung at Vespers on the eight days before Christmas. Each begins with the exclamation “O,” and ends with an increasingly urgent plea for the Messiah to come. Their imagery drawn from Hebrew promises of a Messiah, they were composed by monks in the eighth or ninth centuries. Each is presented here as a “nested reflection” on the antiphon. Please see the end of this booklet for a guide to writing nested reflections.
