Friday, December 18, 2009

Advent Calendar: Roman Gate 18

Gates, lift high your heads,
raise high the ancient gateways,
and the king of glory shall enter.
Psalm 24: 7 (New Jerusalem Bible)


The Passetto (small passage) is the corridor along the top of the old Vatican wall between the Papal Palace and the Castel Sant' Angelo. These arches were cut into the wall to give access to St. Peter's Square from the Via Porta Angelica. (You can see the columns of Bernini's colannade through the gate.) While the Porta Angelica no longer exists, the markings above these portals are reminders of the gate originally built by Pius IV.


OWisdom,
Holy Word of God
You rule all creation with power and true concern.
- Come teach us the way of salvation.


O Sacred Lord
and leader of ancient Israel
You communicated with Moses at the burning bush
and gave him the law on Mount Sinai
- Come to set us free by Your mighty arm.

O Root of Jesse
raised up as a sign of all peoples
in Your presence kings become mute
and the nations worship before You
- Come to deliver us and do not delay.

from The Great "O" Antiphons

1 comment:

Shari said...

Dear Larry,
I am so enjoying your Advent calendar. Thank you again! Knowing your love of books, you might enjoy a serialized novel "Shadowing Dickens". It is so wonderfully well written that I think Dickens himself would have followed it daily. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/books/index.html