O Key of David
opening the gates of God's eternal kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!
The fourth antiphon brings our attention to Christ's power which is made evident in Matthew 16:19 where Jesus speaks to Peter about the power of the keys. The "You are Peter and upon this Rock ... etc." can be understood more clearly after a reading of Isaiah 22. In that chapter the prophet wrote:
I will place the Key of the House of David on his shoulder;
when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open.
Here the key of the House of David is conferred upon Eliakim as a symbol of full authority in the Kingdom of Juda. Jesus' use of the phrase with Peter to express his intention of conferring on him the supreme authority of his Church.
In the two scripture readings of today's liturgy, God makes a communication with two people, Ahaz and Mary. These two are introduced in a strange way to the authority of God over his people. Ahaz, King of Judah from 736-716 BC, was a failure in responding to the various ways he could have served God and the people. On the other hand, Mary, confronted with a challenge message from the angel, is somewhat confused. When the angel finishes explaining what God wanted, she uttered her word that spoke volumes of her simplicity and her holiness: "Fiat!" Let it be done! She recognized the power of a supreme being, her God, and was willing to live as he wished.
From this Capitol Hill parish today, let us remember to pray for the men and women who offer protection to all who visit, live or work on the Hill -- the Capitol Police force -- as well as others who serve the various publics in our country. These civil servants carry a key (usually) -- a key that represent authority. Like the Key of David, they are charged with knowing the laws of the land just as Jesus was sent to make known the will of the Father. At this parish we are fortunate to have The Capitol Police Department membership as our neighbors across Second Street from the residence and church.
On Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the "O Antiphon" is not included in the antiphon for the Gospel.
