O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, controlling at your will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.
O Key of David (O Clavis David in Latin), brings us further into the heart of what is sometimes called the Immanuel Cycle (Isaiah 7-12). Jews see these passages as referring to Israel as a people. After the Exile in Babylon the remnant of Judah would return, as a stem blooming from the stump of Jesse, to reestablish the nation. Christians don't reject this interpretation, but see a fuller fulfillment of the prophet's words in the person of Jesus Christ. If yesterday's antiphon (O Root of Jesse) highlighted the Messiah's humble origins, today's stresses His mighty power to save. The main source for this antiphon in Isaiah 9.
After starting the chapter by proclaiming that those who walked in darkness have seen a great light (a theme that will be picked up tomorrow), Isaiah describes "a child who has been born to us," who is a worker of wonders and prince of peace (5). On his shoulders rests the Keys of David (22:22), upon whose throne He sits (9:6). He sets free those who live imprisoned by their sins, who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death (Ps. 107:10-14).
Sin is a prison, and vices - which are sins we do habitually - are chains that keep us shackled to the wall. When we are trapped in the chains of vice, we can believe that there is no way out. We become blind, believing that there is no other way to live. But it is in Jesus Christ that we can find healing. This is not to say that some people aren't going to need therapy or rehab to help them break the cycle of addiction or violence in their lives. But I read once of a Jewish psychologist who, after hearing a patent's problems, would sometimes ask them if they were Catholic. If the person said yes, he'd tell them that there wasn't anything wrong with them that making a good sacramental confession couldn't cure, and he'd send them off to the local parish. he knew that guilt and shame are not always irrational or destructive emotions. Often they are our consciences telling us that something is amiss within our soul. It is telling us that we are prisoners in that moment, and only the healing power of Christ the King can set us free.
This Messianic title also refers to Jesus as King, and His authority on earth and heaven. His kingship is not just over Israel, but it extends over the entire universe. This theme overlaps with the antiphon we will see in two days, which calls Christ King of the Nations. I'll save the further reflection of Jesus' royalty, both in relation to the Jews and the gentiles, for then.
I'll leave off here, reminding us that the wages of sin is death, and it is Jesus, who by his suffering and death, who sets us free from both. He holds the key to open the doors of salvation for us.
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