A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:1-2
O Root of Jesse, you reach deep into the darkness of the earth
and stir the world’s longings for deliverance and hope;
raise within our own lives a spirit of courage and strength,
of wisdom and insight, that we may do your
work for the coming of your kingdom,
through the merits of the one we know as the beginning of the ages,
even Christ, our Lord. Amen.
(Based on the “O Antiphons," a traditional Advent Prayer)
