Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
The "O" Antiphon for December 20 is:
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
Because Adam sinned, we lost access to God. Figuratively and metaphorically speaking, "the gates" to paradise were shut and locked. However, through Jesus we have regained access through his death for our sins. Isaiah wrote: I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open (Isaiah 22:22).
St. John's Gospel confirms this role of Jesus when he writes: I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).