Summary of comments of this office by Dom Schuster, in his work L'année liturgique.

The Introït is drawn from Chapter 45 of the Book of Isaias (v. 8). Two brilliant images wonderfully express the gentle, pacific character of this first coming of the Word of God on earth: the heavens distill the refreshing dew on Gideon's sheepskin; and the earth germinates the flower on the mystical rod of Jesse. The verse from Psalm 18 follows: it is a hymn to creation, to the planets of the firmament, to the sun and moon, to the stars that light the night, to the Creator. The psalmist adjoins the praises of the Law, a luminous reflection of the eternal Word of the Father.

The Gradual, taken from Psalm 144, announces that the Lord is near unto those who trust in Him. He treats souls according to their true dispositions. Nevertheless, since the Lord is good, He often renders our bad dispositions good by His grace.

The Alleluia is inspired by Isaias, and is wonderfully captured in melody in the Gregorian collection. One can feel all the affectionate ardor of the soul which can no longer bear to remain far from the Lord: "Come, O Lord, and tarry not: forgive the sins of Thy people Israel."

The Offertory is taken from St. Luke. It repeats the beautiful salutation of the angel to Mary, together with the blessing addressed to her by the happy mother of St. John the Baptist, the Precursor. The story of the prayer Ave Maria, so dear to the piety of the faithful, and become so familiar thanks to the Rosary, begins with this splendid Offertory, which gives us the text in its primitive form, as it was used throughout the Middle Ages.

The second part of the prayer, "Sancta Maria, Mater Dei," is not derived, like the first part, from Holy Scripture, but sprang forth from the heart of Christian piety, which, during the first period of the Franciscan renewal, was especially distinguished by the quality of tender love for the Blessed Virgin.

The antiphon for the Communion is taken from the proclamation of Isaias (7:14) to king Achaz: "Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son: and His name shall be called Emmanuel," that is, God-with-us. In the New Law, Jesus takes the name of Emmanuel in order to show the indissoluble character of the friendship established between God and man.