Today marks the beginning of the immediate preparation for the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ. For the next seven days the liturgy sings the O Antiphons, beautiful ancient invocations, chanted since the fifth century. They can easily become wishes to guide us through each day. Today's one is a prayer for wisdom.
In the Old Testament wisdom was a quality in the person which was seen as coming down from God. Thus it was something we cultivated that tuned us into a deeper perspective. It is something that we all need in order to see things clearly and get a balance in our lives.
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other,
and softly putting order in all things:
Come and teach us the way of balance.