O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.
I went over the main background for what O Antiphons are and their history the last time out, but I just wanted to clean a few things up before continuing with today's reflection.
I'm taking the antiphons from the U.S. addition of the Liturgy of the Hours. The antiphons refer to the Messianic titles as found in the Old Testament, and were traditionally rendered, for the most part, in Latin. When the Liturgy was translated into the vernacular we get the renderings as we will encounter them here. The illustrations I'm using sometimes give the original Latin or, in this case, Hebrew word, while the antiphons themselves give us the English translation. While I'm all for the vernacular Liturgy, there is no doubt that sometimes things get lost in translation, and I believe this is one such case. Yesterday's title, Wisdom, comes from the Latin word sapientia - which is a pretty straightforward. Adonai, a title for God found in the Old Testament, used so as to avoid speaking the Divine Name revealed to Moses in Exodus 3, is generally translated in our Bibles as "the LORD" or, in this case, "sacred Lord of ancient Israel." Not wrong, but still not completely right - or it might be better to say that even this involved phrase doesn't quite capture the title's full meaning.
Commentaries on the O Antiphons usually point us to particular passages from Isaiah, along with selections from other prophets sprinkled in. While Isaiah can certainly help us to reflect on the meaning of O Adonai, the antiphon proper points us directly to the 3rd chapter of Exodus, and Moses' encounter with God in the Burning Bush. It tells us of a God who is at once very mighty and powerful, but who is very close to His people as well.
As I wrote, to simply translate Adonai as the LORD or even sacred Lord of ancient Israel only scratches the surface of what the title means. It means that God is lord and master of Israel, yes. As Isaiah puts it, "the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he it is who will save us" (Is. 33:22). Elsewhere the prophet proclaims that, "he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide fairly for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips" (Is. 11:4-5). God is Israel's king, lawgiver, He looks on the rights of the poor and afflicted, and will render a just judgment, showing no partiality.
But God is more than some cosmic monarch and legislator. When He identifies Himself to Moses, God tells him that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He called Abraham from among the nations, and guided Isaac on his tumultuous journeys. He made Jacob the head of a great family that formed the foundation of the 12 Tribes of Israel. God is more than simply a lawgiver: Adonai implies that He is a father who walks with His people. His Law is a gift to be cherished; a gift that brings blessings to those who are faithful. He gives it out of love for His children, looking for their good. The Law is what unified the Chosen People. Those who left Egypt in the Exodus were not all decedents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and it was their agreeing to follow the Law given on Sinai that incorporated them into Israel.
So in Adonai we come to see God as King, Lawgiver, just judge, defender of the poor and oppressed and, father of a people who are bound together by the wisdom embodied in God's laws and statutes. That's a lot of meaning for one little word, and it's understandable that to try to capture it's full meaning in a pithy fashion is close to impossible. With this in mind I'll focus in on one of these qualities expressed by the title Adonai. What struck me as I was reflecting on this antiphon was the aspect of God as a loving father who calls and fosters a people.
I wrote a few months ago about the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus. While I don't step back from those words, it's also true to say that having a personal relationship with God isn't enough. God calls individuals, but when we look at Scripture and Church history, He calls them with a purpose beyond self actualization. They are to be of some service to God’s plan of forming, guiding or liberating His people.
God’s promise to the Patriarchs wasn’t that he would make them great men, but that he would make of them a great people and nation. He sent Moses to Pharaoh, not to usurp his power or gain glory for himself, but to lead God’s people to religious and economic freedom. In David, we see that the fate of God's chosen leader and that of His people are intertwined. The people were punished for David's sin of pride in taking a census when God had said the nation would be so numerous that it couldn't be counted, a troubling mystery that David himself questioned. Jesus sent the Twelve out to gather the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They were to take 12 thrones, but these were not to be places of honor but of responsibility and service. The way of discipleship is to wash the feet of others - the act of a slave, it's cost is to share in the cup of Christ's sufferings. All this is for the greater glory of God, and the gathering of the nations into His Kingdom.
If we look to St. John Bosco, to pick one example among the multitude of Saints, we see someone who dedicated his life for the salvation of young people. Some in his own time thought he was gathering his boys for some type of revolutionary movement, or else he was motivated by ego fueled self promotion. But he was following God's call, under the guidance of the Blessed Mother, to form young people to be active and productive members of the Church and society.
Turin in the mid-1900's, where Don Bosco worked, saw an influx of teenagers and young adults who were disconnected. They were coming from farms, looking for work in factories and construction sites, work that, if they could even find it, meant long hours, unsafe conditions and, little pay. They were separated from family, often uneducated and uncatechized. They too often followed a life of sin and crime, either ignorant or uncaring of God's Law. Some ended up in jail, or even in the gallows. Many saw no hope. Don Bosco's mission was to connect them to a community, educate them for life and prepare them for Heaven. This meant a great deal of self sacrifice, and putting aside personal wants.
Don Bosco fostered vocations to both the Salesians and the diocesan priesthood. He trained carpenters and printers, among other trades, so that they could find productive, honest work. Then they could get married, raise families. He promoted frequent Holy Communion and Confession, along with the rosary and other popular devotions, so that they could grow in holiness of life and be active members of the Church. Putting these two pieces together, he wanted to form good Christians and honest citizens who would then go out and transform society.
Don Bosco could have followed any number of career paths within the Church. He could have been the pastor of a rich parish, or private tutor to a well heeled family, making a very comfortable life for himself. There was even talk of him being made a bishop at one point. But he rejected personal ambition to follow the road less traveled. He didn't follow his own designs, but rather followed the God who, like a father, gathers a people to Himself, and calls us to follow in a path of service. Don Bosco was a father to his boys, gathering them into the Salesian Family, which was for them the gateway into the Church. He taught them to respect and follow God's laws, and to be a positive leaven in society.
The key for Don Bosco was that he saw God as active and present in his life. God was certainly for him the transcendent, all powerful Lord and lawgiver. He was also tender Father, whose rule wasn't arbitrary or capricious, but was meant to give wisdom and life. In Jesus, he saw the Good Shepherd who knows, gathers and protects His sheep. This is the LORD that Don Bosco followed and strived to imitate. All this was only possible because Don Bosco didn't look first to his own needs and desires. His discernment wasn't preoccupied with what would fulfill his deepest wants, but it was an outward looking vision that sought first the Kingdom of God, and its righteousness.
In seeking a personal relationship with God it always needs to be within the context of the community of believers. There is no doubt that Don Bosco shared an incredible intimacy with Christ. But it was a relationship that wasn't exclusive, in the sense that it was mean to be just between the two of them. He was called to invite others into that Divine intimacy as well : so they could come to know the all powerful LORD of the universe, whose Law is a yoke that is easy, burden light, and leads to eternal life. We too are called to breakout of our egoism, and radical individuality to follow Adonai - the LORD who walked with our ancestors, calls us now to enter ever more deeply into the family of believers, gives us the Law of Love and, calls us to serve Him in our neighbors.
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