On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

I was fascinated to learn that it is thought to be a secret Catholic song; "on the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: a partridge in a pear tree!"

The song's gifts are supposedly hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptised person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem:

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldest not?

Matthew 23:37

The other symbols in the song are interpreted as thus:

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 first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch"
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit / the seven sacraments
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 articles of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

Recall your minds back to last Saturday... on the traditional date for the feast of the Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas, I could sing with joy my own song:

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my true love sent to me:
A Twelve altar church
at Eleven in the morning
Ten Singers chanting
Nine Altar servers
Eight Maids mantill'ed
Seven Yards of Lace
Six Candles Blazing
* Five * Bell * Rings * ! * (at each consecration!)
Four Altar Relics
Three B'rettas
Two Acolytes
A Tridentine-High-Mass in the Ora-to-ryyy!