The Ah Antiphons

Everyone knows about the "O Antiphons," the antiphons for the Magnificat at Vespers from the 17th through the 23rd of December. Several bloggers are posting all week on them.

Okay, but what about the other antiphons, for the Benedictus at Lauds for the 17th through the 23rd of December? Are they chopped liver?

Currently, in the United States, these are they:

December 17: Believe me, the kingdom of God is at hand; I tell you solemnly, your Savior will not delay his coming.

December 18: Let everything within you watch and wait, for the Lord our God draws near.

December 19: Like the sun in the morning sky, the Savior of the world will dawn; like rain on the meadows he will descend to rest in the womb of the Virgin, alleluia.

December 20: The angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, who was engaged to be married to Joseph.

December 21: There is no need to be afraid; in five days our Lord will come to us.

December 22: The moment that your greeting reached my ears, the child within my womb leapt for joy.

December 23: All that God promised to the virgin through the message of the angel has been accomplished.

And a special bonus antiphon:

December 24: The time has come for Mary to give birth to her first-born Son.

Okay, not quite up to the evenings' antiphonæ majores, and a bit uneven taken in their own right (December 20th's, however fruitful for meditation, is a bit of a come-down poetically). But it does mark the progression as Advent accelerates into Christmas.

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