At vespers today, as on the last six days, the antiphon for the magnificat starts with the simple little word “o.” In English, “o” is both a letter and an entire word, an interjection with a human, natural ring to it. Old English had no such word. It had other interjections with similar meanings, like “la” and “eala,” which are now obsolete. Old Irish did have a similar sounding word: “au,” also spelled “o,” but it meant something completely different. To be an “O’Neil,” for example, was to be a descendant of the Neil family.
Sometime between Old English and Modern English we simply started using the Latin word “o.” Spelled “o” or “oh,” it is the same interjection in both languages with the same variety of meanings. “O” expresses appeal, astonishment, lament, pain, longing, indignation, and joy. The authors of the seven O antiphons included all of these connotations into these prayers.
Together with all the priests, deacons and religious of the Catholic Church today, let us pray “O Emmanuel.” Our racing minds may try to run ahead and select the correct meaning of the word “o” in the given context, but let us just slow it down a bit and open ourselves up to the full range of meaning that this simple little word carries with it.