ADVENT and CHRISTMAS carols lead to our True Love and Catholic Faith In a piece today titled 12 Days of Christmas items top $114K, MSN asks: If you want to buy those seven swans-a-swimming and the other items from The Twelve Days of Christmas, how much will it cost you? Buying one set of the gifts in The Twelve Days of Christmas would cost $27,393. And if you buy all 364 items repeated throughout the carol, youll pay $114,651. (news.msn/pop-culture/12-days-of-christmas-items-top-dollar114k) Good thing our TRUE LOVE’s gifts are free for the asking! Yes, our True Love is Christ and the carol is filled with Christian meaning and symbolism – a true catechetically evangelistic tool – though the origins are uncertain and some even question the explanation as “myth.” Others, however, believe that the beloved carol was actually a tool to help children learn Christian teachings: when Oliver Cromwell came to power in England, Catholics were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Tradition holds that Catholic parents developed The Twelve Days of Christmas to teach children their beliefs. Enjoy the song and brief and longer explanations of what the gifts mean: youtube/watch?v=mYIhPn6YBI8#t=17 The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus (the partridge will sacrifice its life to save its young). Two turtle doves: The Old and New Testaments Three French hens: Faith, hope, and charity, or the three gifts of the Wise Men Four calling birds: The four Evangelists--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Five golden rings: The first five books of the Old Testament Six geese a-laying: The six days of creation described in Genesis Seven swans a-swimming: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord) Eight maids a-milking: The eight Beatitudes Nine ladies dancing: The nine choirs of angels (Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and regular angels); or the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control). Ten lords a-leaping: The Ten Commandments Eleven pipers piping: The eleven faithful Apostles Twelve drummers drumming: The twelve points of belief in the Apostles Creed (BeliefNet) The Real Meaning of The Twelve Days of Christmas by Father Edward T. Dowling, S. J | Source: Catholic.net (catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3465) Much more than a haunting melody with nonsensical lyrics, The Twelve Days of Christmas was written by the English Jesuits during the 16th century as a catechetical device. I’m sure you have all heard the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” with its haunting melody. The carol dates back to the 16th century and its precise author is unknown. It has generally been assumed to consist of twelve nonsense verses built around a pretty melody. But in a fascinating article in Our Sunday Visitor (12/20/92), Fr. Gilhooley, a chaplain at St. Mary’s College, informs us that the carol was written by the English Jesuits of the 16th century as a catechetical device and it is far from filled with nonsensical verses. The carol is akin to the apocalyptic literature of Scripture that used obscure symbols to hide its true meaning from the enemy in time of persecution. To understand the background that gave rise to the carol, let us look briefly at the history of Catholicism in 16th century England. When Henry VIII was rebuffed by Rome in his bid to divorce Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, he declared himself head of the Church in England replacing the Pope and demanded that all swear an oath of allegiance to him as such. St. Thomas More, the Chancellor of the Realm, the equivalent of the Prime Minister today, refused the oath supporting the elimination of the Pope’s authority and Henry had him publicly beheaded. Catholic convents and monasteries were closed and looted. The situation was worse under his son, Edward VI, and better during the short reign of Catherine’s daughter, Mary Tudor. She was succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I, an ardent Protestant, the daughter of Anne Boleyn. The practice of the Catholic faith was banned. Priests were exiled and forbidden under pain of death from returning or performing the sacraments. It was a desperate, dreadful time. But many priests risked their lives to come back and minister to the flock and many lay Catholics likewise risked their lives and fortunes to hear Mass and have their children baptized. Wealthy families built hiding places, called priests’ holes, in their homes to hide priests in case their homes were raided by the secret police. The story is told of one priest who was almost caught in a surprise raid. He had just time to squeeze into his hole before the police broke in on the family. The police had obviously received a tip because they went right to the fireplace where the priest’s hole was located. But try as they might, they couldn’t find the entrance. Then in their frustration they ordered a fire to be lit to drive out the priest. When he didn’t emerge, because to do so would subject the host family to prison or death, they ordered more logs on the fire. Eventually all were driven from the room by the intense heat and the police left in disgust. The family rushed to get the priest out of the hole but he was already dead, baked alive. He gave his life under cruel circumstances to save those whom he had come to serve. And he was only one of many. With this as a background we can see the need for secrecy and deception. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written to educate the faithful in the doctrines of the faith and yet not be obvious to the persecutors. The numbers are simply a mnemonic to help Catholics remember some basic facts. Recall the words of the song. “On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: twelve lords a leaping, eleven pipers piping, ten ladies dancing, nine drummers drumming, eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.” Read more at catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3465.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 07:09:13 +0000