O Day Star, O Morning Star,
rise in my heart!
In your own moment of darkness
when you most acutely knew the pain of being a rejected God
you were strengthened by the Voice
out of the majestic splendor of your transfiguration,
That light of approval,
"you are my Son, on you my favor rests"
shown in the darkness of evil's hatred of God.
Such a mystery --
how so good a God
was forever being rejected, ignored, hated
by the creatures he had made and loved
and called his own children.
We need your transfiguration.
We need to know you know what it was like
to be surrounded, engulfed in darkness.
And we need to know your way out of darkness
by holding fast to that word of revelation
about who you are
so we can live in hope
because of who you made us to be:
God's children on whom his favor rests.
O Morning Star,
shine the darkness of sadness
out of our hearts
so we can be free
to live as we ought
and be channels of your joy
and love
and light
in all the dark places we may be in
"until the first streaks of dawn appear
and the Morning Star rises"
in all human hearts.

O Morning Star, the splendor of eternal light and brilliant sun of justice: come and with your holy light, shine on us who sit in darkness and in death's shadow. -- O Antiphon for December 21.