Exiit qui seminat
Twelve Days of Christmas
One of my earliest memories growing up was the old fashioned Blaupunkt radio that my dad received as a graduation present from college. It had a shortwave radio built in along with the AM and FM receiver and a record player underneath. One of the records that we listened to around Christmastime was "A Christmas Together" by John Denver and the Muppets. The first track was the Twelve Days of Christmas, a fan favorite. Little did I know that the Twelve Days of Christmas would have so much more significance in my life as a priest. The song signifies the 12 days between Christmas and the feast of the Epiphany (when it's celebrated on January 6. Most of the universal Church still celebrates the Epiphany on January 6. The Catholic Church in the US changed the date in 1970). The Twelve Days of Christmas speak of the gifts given each day in celebration of Christ's birth. But the song could be much deeper than that. A theory was posited in the late 70s and 80s that the song was a mini-catechism to help teach the faith secretly to Catholic children in England during the time that the faith was prohibited and actively persecuted. While unsubstantiated, the gifts symbolize different aspects of the faith: Partridge in a Pear Tree = Jesus Christ, 2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments, 3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues, 4 Calling Birds = The Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists, 5 Golden Rings = The Pentateuch, the first Five Books of the Old Testament, 6 Geese A-laying = The six days of creation, 7 Swans A-swimming = The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, 8 Maids A-milking = The eight beatitudes, 9 Ladies Dancing = The nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit, 10 Lords A-leaping = The ten commandments, 11 Pipers Piping = The eleven faithful apostles, 12 Drummers Drumming = The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed. Whether it's true or not, the Twelve Days of Christmas, as well as the feasts of Christmas and Epiphany remind us that so many aspects of the faith and Church have, not just an obvious face value and meaning, but also something more! While our Christmas season ends on Monday after the Baptism of the Lord, let us not forget the lessons and message of love that the Christ Child shared with us during these past "12 days" and how they point to what we will celebrate in little more than a month's time: the season of Lent and ultimately our Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Rob Sinatra
