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The
twelve Days of Christmas
Is
one Christmas carol,
That
has baffled me.
What
do leaping lords, French hens,
Swimming
swans, and my true love
Giving
a partridge in a pear tree,
Have
to do with Christmas?
Today,
I found out.
From
1558 until 1829,
Roman
Catholics in England,
Were
not permitted to practice
Their
faith openly.
Someone
during that era wrote this
Carol
as a catechism song,
For
young Catholic children.
The
song has two levels of meaning;
The
surface meaning,
Plus
a hidden meaning known only
To
the members of their church.
Each
element in the carol has a code word
For
a religious reality,
Which
the children could remember.
A
partridge in a pear tree,
Was
Jesus Christ.
Two
turtle doves,
Were
the Old and New Testaments.
Three
French hens,
Stood
for Faith, Hope and Love.
The
four calling birds were,
The
four gospels of,
Matthew,
Mark Luke and John.
The
five golden rings recalled the,
Torah
or Law,
The
first five books of the Old Testament.
The
six geese a-laying stood for,
The
six days of creation.
Seven
swans a-swimming represented the,
Sevenfold
gifts of the Holy Spirit -
Prophesy,
Serving, Teaching, Exhortation,
Contribution,
Leadership and Mercy.
The
eight maids a-milking were,
The
eight beatitudes.
Matthew
5:4-11
Blessed
are those who mourn,
For
they will be comforted.
The
meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For
they will be filled.
The
merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
The
pure in heart, for they will see God.
The
peacemakers, for they will be called sons of
God.
Those
who are persecuted because of righteousness,
For
theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
You
when people insult you, persecute you and
falsely
Say
all kinds of evil against you - because of me.
Nine
ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy
Spirit.
Love
- Joy -Peace - Patience - Kindness,
Goodness
- Faithfulness - Gentleness and Self Control.
The
ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.
The
eleven pipers piping stood for,
The
eleven faithful disciples.
The
twelve drummers drumming symbolized,
The
twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
I
believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator
of heave and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son,
Our
Lord, who was conceived by
The
Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered
under Pontius Pilate.
Was
crucified, died and was buried;
He
descended to the dead.
On
the third day He arose again;
He
ascended into Heaven,
He
is seated at the right hand of the Father.
And
He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
The
Holy Catholic Church,
The
communion of saints,
The
forgiveness of sins,
The
resurrection of the body,
And
life everlasting.
Amen.
With
this knowledge of history, we now know
How
that strange song became a Christmas Carol.
I
thank you Cathy for this email!
 
  
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