O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviter disponensque omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae. "O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High. You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner: come to teach us the way of truth." Today we begin the solemn sequence of "O antiphons" at the Magnificat. Every evening until Christmas, we shall ask the Lord to come to us under a special attribute. Tonight, we ask him to come to us as Wisdom. The music suggests both the greatness of God and our own fragility: we plead with him to come and save us by showing us the way of prudence. Not the most striking virtue, perhaps, but one which this year we may all appreciate a little more fully! Traditionally, during the singing of the antiphon all the church bells are rung so that everyone is aware something important is happening. A specially large and beautifully illuminated book (see illustration) is used by the hebdomadarian who leads the prayer and solemn tones are used for the Magnificat itself. In the meantime, and indeed every day from now on, to hear the O antiphon for the day, please click on the illustration in the sidebar, go to the Prayer Box on our Vocation page or follow the whole sequence on our Liturgy page. O antiphon recordings by courtesy of the Fisheaters web site and Fr Tucker.