“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is my favorite carol of the season. I did not know about it or sing it until I went to Catholic school in the mid-1970s, but since I’ve discovered it, I have not let it go. I literally grew up in the Christian church, in a hodgepodge of Baptist, Church of God In Christ, and Pentecostal Charismatic churches. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is to the Catholic Church what “Go Tell It On The Mountain” is to the Black Church. Come to think of it, I sang that one in Catholic school, too. It’s amazing how I received more spiritual depth in that time with the Catholics than I have in my many years of Sunday service in other traditions. But, that’s a tale for another day.
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” was translated from Latin in 1851 by priest and scholar John Mason Neale. The Latin version of the song was titled “Veni, Veni, Emmanuel” (and there are actual documents…
