First of all, let me say if you ever have the chance to attend Vespers at a Benedictine priory, you should jump at it. Or any place where it is chanted Vespers. I got such an opportunity, and it was magical. The entire service was in Latin, and yet even without knowing what was being chanted I was transported to a place closer to heaven.
Now the Father Prior gave a brief homily towards the end of the service, and there were a couple of things that struck me. First he referenced antiphons as being like keys that unlock the Psalms. They are a way to focus our minds on what the Psalmist is telling us about our relationship with God. Maybe in today's age a password is a more apt description. As you use a password over and over it is easier to remember and it is easier to get on with the purpose of what your are about to do. Or sticking with the key analogy, a well worn key opens the door much easier than a brand new never used one. We must use the antiphons to open our hearts to the psalms in order to better understand scripture. And there is a reason why we repeat it over and over at Mass.
The second thing that was such a great image, was angel that rolled the stone away from the tomb and was sitting on the stone when the women came to the tomb. He said that angel was a representation of Christ and that by sitting on the stone that once sealed the tomb of he was figuratively sitting on death, representing Christ's victory over death, and providing a path to heaven through the resurrection.
Vespers- find one near you and go. Or pick up the Divine Office app for your phone, and do it yourself. Start using the keys we've been given by our Church.
See you on the road!