Its too bad we no longer have the great antiphons from the old Daily Office. They are available in various places (the English Office, the Breviary), but they aren't a standard part of the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer. They were "reformed" away. Here, for example, is the old antiphon on the morning canticle "Benedictus" (Luke 1.68-79) aka "the song of Zechariah" for the Epiphany --
"Hodie caelesti sponso juncta est Ecclesia, quoniam in Jordane lavit Christus ejus crimina : currunt cum muneribus Magi ad regales nuptias, et ex aqua facto vino laetantur convivae, alleluja."
or rather:
"Today the Church has been joined to her heavenly Spouse, for Christ has washed away her sins in the Jordan; the Magi hasten with gifts to the royal nuptials, and the guests are gladdened with wine made from water, alleluia."
What a beautiful expression of the mystery of the Epiphany! You could spend years unpacking the mystical content of that antiphon. Note, for example, the references to the nuptial aspect of the Incarnation: that in Christ, divine nature and human nature become "one flesh" in the person of Jesus; that we are guests at the banquet. Note too the oblique reference to Ephesians 5.25 et seq: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word..."
What sublime mystery! We should bring back the antiphons to our office, at least as readily available options.
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