A reading from the Book of Proverbs 8:1-12:

Does not Wisdom call, and Understanding raise her voice?
On the top of the heights along the road,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
by the gates at the approaches of the city, in the entryways she cries aloud:
To you, O people, I call; my appeal is to all.
You who are simple, learn how to make sound judgments.
Listen! For what I say is worth hearing; my mouth proclaims the truth.
Indeed, my mouth hates to lie.
All the words of my mouth are sincere;
all of them are straightforward to the intelligent,
and right to those who attain knowledge.
Accept my lessons instead of silver,
and knowledge in place of gold.
For Wisdom is better than jewelry; no treasures can compare with her.
I, Wisdom, dwell with experience, the source of clear thinking.

“Wisdom is better than jewelry; no treasures can compare with her.”

Oh! Wisdom, how we need you now more than ever! You, Sophia, the breath, the power of God, the feminine face of God. Come and show your people the way to salvation.

That reading from Proverbs is one of several books of wisdom grouped together and occurring before the Book of Isaiah, the prophet from whom all the other O Antiphons are taken at this time of year.

These books of wisdom are a needed breath of fresh air. Listen to a few verses:

“What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun!” (Ecc 1-9) Today we hear: “It is what it is,” proving the point that nothing is new under the sun.

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