O King of the Gentiles and the Desired of them, you are the cornerstone that makes both one, come and deliver man, whom Thou did form out of the dust of the earth.
In one short statement today’s O antiphon lays out the essential narrative of salvation history. We are made from “dust” to know love and serve God and to love our neighbor. Human will, however, turned from that initial plan but even in our disobedience humanity still hungered for that original intention of God. This antiphon speaks of the universality of the invitation and the universality of the human condition. This antiphon also speaks to our desire for good things but that anything that stands in the place of God’s intention for humanity always exists as a partial gift and needs to be returned.