O Wonderful Exchange - Banner
Author/Artist: The Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey
Christmas Day :
'O Wonderful Exchange! The Creator of the human race took to himself a human body and was born a virgin, and becoming man he granted us divinity.'
This antiphon comes from the Greek Liturgy, and until was, until Vatican II, also part of the Roman Liturgy of January 1. The whole mystery of Christmas is summed up here, God's plan for the human race, the pattern of all Christian life.
"The Spirit bears witness that we are God's children", wrote St Paul, "God's heirs and Christ's fellow heirs, sharing his suffering now and his glory hereafter." (Romans 8:16-17)
"God became man, so that man might come to share God's life," wrote St Irenaeus, and, "Let us become gods through Christ, since Christ became man through us."(St Gregory of Nazianzen)
'O-Antiphons':
A highlight of the Church's Advent Liturgy are the O-Antiphons. From December 17th-23rd they frame the Magnificat at Vespers.
Rich in symbolism and meaning they take us right from the beginning of creation, through the centuries of the world's waiting for the promised Messiah, calling upon him who was hidden in signs and symbols, and revealed when the fullness of time had come, leading us to the Mystery of the Incarnation and beyond, to the Paschal Mystery, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the Parousia.
The exact origin of the Latin texts is unknown. They may date from the sixth century. There is evidence to suggest that the texts were in liturgical use in Rome in the eighth century. Both the original Latin texts and an English translation are given here.
Arriving at the 7th Antiphon on December 23rd, we may discover that the letters of the Latin invocations, read from the last up to the first, form a wonderful acrostic, like God's answer to our prayer:
Sapienta
Adonai
Radix Jesse
Clavis David
Oriens
Rex Gentium
Emmanuel
ERO CRAS : I WILL BE HERE TOMORROW
These banners are reproduced using a dye sublimation printing process on a heavy opaque natural close-weave cotton fabric that hangs well. The colours are fade resistant under normal lighting conditions. All banners are supplied with a hanging cord, rods and end caps top and bottom. An extra depth of approx. 12" should be allowed when measuring to allow for hanging cord. A sample of the material can be supplied upon request.
Dimensions: 52" x 24" ('A' format) - price: £130.00 + vat. Other sizes available - see options below:
