At Vespers on these days, we pray one of the "O" antiphons at the Magnificat. Today, December 21, the antiphon is "O Oriens":
O Óriens splendor lucis æternæ, et sol
iustítiæ: veni, et illúmina sedéntes in ténebris, et umbra mortis.
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O Dawn, Reflection of eternal Light and sun of
justice; come, and give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow
of death.
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From "Liturgical Meditations for the Entire Year" by the Sisters of St. Dominic, Adrian, MI (B. Herder, 1960):
As
the dawn of Christ’s nativity approaches, Holy Church cries out for His
everlasting brilliance to disperse the shadows of our misery and sin. Frequently in the Advent liturgy she speaks of
Him as light to honor the splendor of His eternal divinity and the enlightenment
of all men by His coming. Today she
calls upon Him as the dawn, the first appearance of celestial brilliance upon
the dark horizon of our world.
The
splendor that streams from Bethlehem’s cave is meant to cast upon our lives the
radiance of eternal light. Let us ask
ourselves whether we shrink from this divine illumination. Perhaps there are dark corners in our souls,
lurking shadows of sin, cherished spots of blindness where God’s light is not
permitted to enter. If we allow the holy
Infant only partial entrance to our thoughts and affections, He cannot dispel
the darkness of our souls and lead us to everlasting light.