(The Lord said) "The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches" ... Revelation 1:20

(The following reflection was passed to our electronic ministry team during the past holiday season. We have held it for use at a time outside the Christmas season - when so many things compete for our attention. It is our hope that by doing this you will have more time to reflect upon the mystery the writing discusses. And, we thank David for passing the "solution" to us.)

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world does leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge in the 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 Catholics. It has two levels of meaning -- the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.

• The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
• Two turtledoves 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.
• 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.

(David wrote) "This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening. Now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol. ... so pass it on if you wish."

Prayer:
Lord, continue to remind us our faith is not cheap.
Many have paid dearly for it. Amen.

Contributed by David S.
Published Sunday March 7, 2004
Week 15 of Liturgical Year C