Antiphona 1

'Veni, sponsa Christi' employs the bridal imagery central to both Canticles and Ephesians 5:25-32, where Christ's love for the Church is likened to spousal love. The imperative 'Veni' (Come) echoes the Bridegroom's call in Canticles 2:10,13 and anticipates Apocalypse 22:17's 'Come!' The 'corona praeparata in aeternum' recalls 1 Peter 5:4's 'unfading crown of glory' and 2 Timothy 4:8's 'crown of righteousness.' At Lauds, the dawn hour, this antiphon presents the virgin martyr as entering her eternal wedding day, the 'marriage supper of the Lamb' (Apocalypse 19:9).