O Key of David
Saturday, December 20th Readings Reflection: Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
Today’s O Antiphon, which we hear in the Alleluia verse, addresses Our Lord as the Key of David. In writing about this antiphon, Dom Prosper Gueranger explains how Our Lord is the Key that unlocked the prison gates of sin and death that hitherto bound all souls. At Christmas, the Light of the world left the pure abode of His Mother’s womb in order to enter the world of darkness. The human heart, enslaved to sin, is the “prisoner… of darkness” to which today’s O Antiphon refers. Christ, the Key of David, came to unlock the gates of this prison so that we might no longer be slaves to sin but rather sons of God.
Furthermore, our O Antiphon tells us, this Key of David also unlocked the “gates of God’s eternal Kingdom.” By His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Christ unlocked the Gates of Heaven for all mankind, making it possible for those who die in sanctifying grace to enter the Beatific Vision for eternity. Until Our Lord’s Resurrection, the souls of the just went to the Bosom of Abraham, where they awaited the Messiah in hopeful expectation. They did not experience the sufferings of the damned in Hell, but they nonetheless suffered a pain of loss due to their separation from God whilst in Limbo. Christ, the Key of David, unlocked the Gates of Heaven so that these just souls—all the way back to Adam and Eve, who repented of their sin and spent the rest of their lives performing penance—could finally enter the Kingdom of God.
In these last days of Advent, the Church encourages us to receive the Sacrament of Penance if we have not already done so yet this season, in order to more fully prepare our hearts for Christ’s coming at Christmas. For some, this Confession may be the first in a long time. We may come bearing heavy sins that weigh us down, or habitual sins that bind us, or the shame of past sins that we cannot fully relinquish. Whatever the state of our hearts and souls may be, Christ calls us all to come to Him and seek His mercy and forgiveness. He calls us to respond to the grace that He so generously lavishes on us so that we might have sorrow for our sins. He calls us to return to His Sacred Heart, the Source of love and mercy, so that our hearts might find peace and rest in Him.
Today’s O Antiphon reminds us of the dramatic reality that occurred on a quiet December night two thousand years ago, but it also reminds us of the dramatic reality that occurs within our souls each time we respond to God’s grace and seek His forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance. As Our Lord told St. Faustina, His mercy is greater than our sins and the sins of the whole world. In these last days of Advent, may we entrust our hearts to the Infant King, knowing that He alone can heal us and set us free from the bonds of sin and death.
