“O STOCK OF JESSE” (DECEMBER 19)- A REFLECTION ON THE GREAT “O” ANTIPHONS FOR THE SECOND PART OF ADVENT

Today’s supplication to Christ at Mass and at Vespers goes thus:

“O Stock of Jesse, you who stand as a signal for the nations; kings fall silent before you whom the peoples acclaim. O come and deliver us, and do not delay”

Dear friends in Christ, according to the divine promise, the Messiah was to arise from the Davidic dynasty, whose root is Jesse, as Isaiah prophesied: “A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1). This prophecy points to the enduring hope of God’s people, even amidst the trials and devastation of their history. The “stock of Jesse” signifies the remnant of Jesse’s family, seemingly reduced to a lifeless stump after the judgement of God fell upon Judah, leaving the nation stripped of its former glory. Yet, within this remnant lay the promise of life—a sign of God’s fidelity to His covenant and His unceasing desire to bring about salvation through His chosen people.

What appeared to be a dead and decaying stock was, in fact, a preparation for the flourishing of new life in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Born of the Virgin Mary, the shoot from Jesse’s stock was fulfilled in the Incarnation of the Word. Mary, of the house of David, embodies this promise as the inviolate and chaste womb that bore the Saviour. As St. Augustine eloquently reflects, “She is the garden of Eden where the Tree of Life has been planted to give life to the world” (Sermon 195). Indeed, in the untouched and pure bowels of Mary, like an evergreen meadow, sprang forth a flower—the Christ—whose beauty will never fade, whose glory will never decline, and whose reign will never end.

This imagery is deeply rooted in the Church’s liturgical tradition. The O Antiphon for December 19, “O Radix Jesse” (O Root of Jesse), reminds us of Christ as the fulfilment of this prophecy. The Child born in Bethlehem of Judea, the city of David (cf. Mt 2:5-6; Micah 5:2), is the manifestation of God’s fidelity and love for His people. The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms this truth: “The genealogy of Jesus, as traced in the Gospels, highlights that the Spirit of the Lord rests upon Him, fulfilling the promises made to the line of David” (CCC 436). This Child, born of Mary, comes not only to fulfil the ancient promise but to meet us in our brokenness and lead us to salvation. He is the long-awaited Saviour who liberates His people from the bondage of sin and death. As the Psalmist proclaims, “The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made” (Psalm 145:13). This liberation is not delayed, for Christ enters into our history, offering Himself as the new and eternal covenant.

Let us, then, rejoice in the hope and fulfilment of the prophecy of Jesse’s stock. In the midst of our trials and seeming desolation, let us turn to Christ, who springs forth as the source of new life and unending hope, and allow His saving grace to flourish in our lives, just as the shoot of Jesse flourished to bring salvation to all.