Rod of the Root of Jesse
IN OTHER WORDS, the katavasias have a prophetic nature, and they point us to their fulfillment in Jesus Christ:
First Ode
Christ is born, give glory. Christ comes from heaven, go to meet Him. Christ is on earth, be exalted. Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and sing hymns in gladness, O people, for He has been glorified.
Third Ode
To Christ our God, the Son who was begotten of the Father without change before the ages, and in the last days was without seed made flesh of the Virgin, let us cry aloud: You have raised our horn. Holy are You, O Lord.
Fourth Ode
Rod of the root of Jesse, and flower that blossomed from his stem, You, O Christ, have sprung forth from the Virgin. From the mount of shaded leafy trees, You, the God who is not material, have come to be incarnate from her who did not know wedlock. Glory to Your power, O Lord.
Fifth Ode
As the God of peace and Father of mercies, You sent to us Your Angel of Great Counsel, granting us peace. So are we guided to the light of divine knowledge, and keeping vigil from night till morning we glorify You, O Lover of mankind.
Sixth Ode
The sea beast spat out Jonah as it received him, like a baby from the womb; and the Word, having dwelt in the Virgin and taken flesh, came forth from her yet kept her uncorrupted. For He, being not subject to decay, preserved His Mother unspoiled.
Seventh Ode
Scorning the impious decree, the Youths brought up together in godliness feared not the threat of fire, but, standing in the midst of the flame, they sang: “Blessed are You, O God of our fathers.”
Eighth Ode
The furnace moist with dew was the image and figure of a wonder beyond nature. For it burnt not the Children whom it had received, even as the fire of the Godhead consumed not the Virgin’s womb into which it had descended. Therefore let us sing in praise: Let all creation bless the Lord and exalt Him above all forever.
Ninth Ode
I see a strange and most wonderful mystery: the cave is heaven; the Virgin the throne of the cherubim; the manger a room in which Christ, the God who cannot be contained, is laid. Him do we praise and magnify.
~Vassilios Papavassiliou, Meditations for Advent: Preparing for Christ’s Birth
