O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento. "O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and gave him the Law on Sinai, come to redeem us with outstretched arm!" This brief prayer is a world in miniature, bringing together the unutterable holiness of God (Adonai stands for the holy name of God, which may not be pronounced), Moses, the holy man of God, and the holy Law of God. But it is a holiness that is, quite literally, grounded in the reality of the world we live in — the Burning Bush, which is a sign of God's presence, and Sinai, where God and Moses meet, the Law is given and the Covenant sealed. It is on Calvary that the new covenant will be sealed in the blood of Christ, and the outstretched arm which in the Old Testament routed the enemies of Israel becomes in the New the arms of Christ nailed open to forgive and embrace all humanity. The Incarnation cannot be separated from the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord anymore than we can separate the "holy" part of our lives from "everything else". Perhaps we might spend a few moments asking ourselves whether we do, in fact, make such a distinction. Will the "holy" bit of Christmas be over for us the minute we get back from church?(Today's O antiphon can be listened to by clicking on the illustration in the sidebar or the Prayer Box on our Vocation page. There is a fuller accountof the O antiphons on our Liturgy page.)