O Adonai - The O Antiphon Reflections from Fr. Giles Dimock, O.P.

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Second Antiphon –
December 18^th: O Adonai

O Sacred Lord of Ancient Israel[1] who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush,[2] who gave him the holy law on Sinai. Come stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.[3]

God gave his name Yahweh to Moses, and with that power over him; for to the Hebrew to use one’s name is to have intimacy with that person and thus to have power over him. Yet God cannot be like the gods of the pagans who are coerced by magical practices and so his name is not to be pronounced but instead “Adonai” or “Lord” is used. In the fulness of time, the Messiah will come and tell us to pray in his name of Jesus, with all the implications of that. We pray now that he come again with outstretched arm, that is with power to set us free. In the words of St. Justin, “He stretched out his arms on the cross,” and was rendered powerless and received from his Father the power of the Spirit to set us free from our sinful selves.

[1] Exod. 6:2

[2] Exod. 3:2

[3] Exod. 6:6