THE NUMEROLOGY OF CHRISTMAS
FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY
Saint Cecilia Catholic Community
January 05, 2019 – 10:30 AM
Rev. David Justin Lynch
Isaiah 60:1-6 | Psalm 72:1-2;7-8;10-13
Ephesians 3:2-3A;5-6 | Matthew 2:1-12
+ In the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
Tomorrow will be
officially the Feast of the Epiphany that we celebrate today. Over the past eleven days, the holiday season
which started on Thanksgiving Day has been winding down though I hope, as
Deacon Sharon preached on Christmas Day, that you will carry the spirit of
Christmas in your hearts throughout the year.
Christians enjoy twelve days
celebrating the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity. To quote the Gospel of Luke for
Christmas Eve, we heard the angels proclaim to the shepherds, “Do not be
afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all
people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord.”
The
messages on television and on the Internet which tell us generally to “rejoice”
and “be merry” are, in the secular world, equated with material gifts, but as
Christians, we must remember the reason for the rejoicing and the merriment
comes from Jesus. To use an oft-quoted phrase, “Jesus is the reason for the
season.”
Today we
celebrate the Magi appearing at the crib of Jesus to give him gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. Maybe that particular act of gift-giving generated our
custom of giving gifts to one another at Christmas. But the gift of gifts is God’s gift of Jesus to
all humanity.
Over the twelve
days of Christmas, we celebrate what we read in the Gospel of John: “For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
You are no doubt
familiar with the song, “Twelve Days of Christmas.” While it may sound like a
secular song, it is the numerology of Christmas with profound religious
meanings embedded in it.
“On the First
Day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree.” Our “true love” is God. No one can put any
other person ahead of God, who has been with us at the beginning of our life
and will be with us for all eternity. The First Epistle of John tells us
unambiguously “God is love.” Every verse of the song begins with that phrase,
reminding us that all gifts ultimately come from God; when we receive Christmas
gifts, we receive those gifts from God, who acts through the giver.
Each of those
twelve gifts have a unique meaning for Christians.
The “partridge
in a pear tree” is Jesus Himself. He is God’s one and only Son. There are no
other gifts like Jesus, who comes to love and save and free us from the bondage
of sin and death.
The “Two Turtle
Doves” represent The Old and New Testaments. For Catholics, of course, that
includes the Deuterocanonical Books that the Protestants leave out. I am
referring to the books of Judith, Tobit, First and Second Maccabees, Wisdom,
Sirach, the Greek version of Esther, and the longer version of Daniel.
The Three French Hens symbolize
Faith, Hope, and Love, the principle theological virtues.
Saint Paul tells us, “Three things
will last forever: faith, hope, and love.”
As the anonymous author of the Epistle to the Hebrews says to us, “Faith
is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us
assurance about things we cannot see.”
Hope has been defined as “a feeling
of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” It can also be
defined as “a feeling of trust.” While faith is trusting in God that there
is something better to seek than what we have now, hope is the expectation, or
the certainty, that it is actually there. Hope is the fuel that keeps faith
alive in our quest to find love. Saint Paul tells us that of those three
virtues, the greatest is love. More on that later.
The Calling Birds are the Four
Canonical Gospels, that is, Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. According to nearly
all scholars across multiple denominations, that is the proper chronological
order in which these gospels were compiled by their four anonymous authors.
Mark, Matthew, and Luke are called the “synoptic gospels”, because they
synopsize the biography of Jesus, while the Gospel of John is more a
theological treatise than a biography. Each of the Gospels have their own way
of storytelling. Sometimes they agree with each other, sometimes not, and each
has unique material. But all four Gospels are indeed, “calling birds.” They
call us to new life in Jesus.
The Five Golden Rings are the first
five books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch,” known by our Jewish sisters
and brothers as “The Torah” a word that means “teaching.” The books of Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are truly golden rings that we wear
on our hearts as our connection to the first of the chosen people. They contain
the law of God as it was revealed to Moses. The Torah is read at Jewish
Synagogue services. The Jewish people keep the Torah in a sacred adorned scroll
and keep in a place in the synagogue known as “the ark.”
Genesis contains two accounts of the creation story. The two
stories do not contradict but complement each other.
The main theme of Exodus is about the journey of the Jewish
people out of Egypt and their wandering in the desert for forty years. It
presents the defining features of Israel's identity—memories of a past marked
by hardship and escape, a binding covenant with God, who chooses Israel, and
the establishment of the life of the community and the guidelines for
sustaining it.
Leviticus contains detailed laws. Numbers continues the
history of the Israelites and their relationship with God. Deuteronomy means
“second law” and is a restatement of the law as given to Moses, whose speeches
are featured throughout that book.
Six Geese A-Laying is for the six
days of creation in the first chapter of Genesis. That first story originates
from the so-called “Priestly Source”, while the second one comes from what is
known as the “Jahwist Source”. The priestly source story is not literally true.
The earth and all therein was not made in six days, as our fundamentalist
sisters and brothers try to tell us. The story was meant to convey God’s
unfolding of life through divine commandment and fulfillment. Some scholars
believe that the creation story in the Bible came from polytheistic Mesopotamian
mythology which the Jews adapted to monotheism.
Seven Swans A Swimming is for the seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit, wisdom, understanding, counsel, courage, knowledge, reverence, and fear
of the Lord.
The gift of wisdom enables us to see
God at work in the world and enables us to make practical judgments to handle
the situations that confront us in everyday life.
In the gift of understanding, we
comprehend how we need to live as a follower of Jesus to sort out the
conflicting messages we receive from the world around us.
The gift of counsel, or right
judgment helps us to discern right and wrong.
The gift of courage enables us to
undertake the risks that come with following Jesus.
The gift of knowledge is not just
and accumulation of facts, but insight into the meaning of God.
The gift of reverence gives us deep
respect for God and the Church.
The gift known as “fear of the
Lord” doesn’t mean being afraid of God, but placing oneself in the wonder and
awe of God.
Eight Maids-A-Milking are the eight
Beatitudes we find in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel According to
Matthew. You will probably recall the
verse from the Gospel for Christmas Day, “The law was given by Moses, but grace
and truth came through Jesus.” The Beatitudes represent that grace and that
truth. The Beatitudes are so important for Christians that I feel compelled to
repeat them today.
"Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are they who mourn, for
they shall be comforted.”
“Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth.”
“Blessed are they who hunger and
thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.”
“Blessed are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercy.”
“Blessed are the pure of heart, for
they shall see God.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the
sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
All of the
Beatitudes have an eschatological meaning, that is, they promise us what is in
the world to come, but they also bring peace to humanity in the midst of the trials
and tribulations of our lives in today’s world.
The Nine Ladies
Dancing represents the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Paul’s Epistle to
the Galatians. They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control.
The word love is duplicated from
the three theological virtues. Given its importance for Christians, it is worth
repeating. The word “love” presents
difficulties for English-speaking Christians because it is an overbroad term
with many meanings depending on the context. To simplify matters, I go with the
meanings described in “The Four Loves” by CS Lewis. First is Eros, like that
between romantic partners. Second is Storge, like the affection between parent
and child. The third is Philia, or love between friends. Fourth is Agape our love
for humankind generally, in the same manner that God loves all of us.
Joy is deeper
than mere happiness; it is rooted in God and comes from Him. Since it comes
from God, it is more serene and stable than worldly happiness, which is merely emotional
and lasts only for a time.
The word
"peace" comes from the Greek word eirene, the Greek equivalent for
the Hebrew word shalom, which expresses the idea of wholeness,
completeness, or tranquility in the soul that is unaffected by the outward pressures.
The word Eirene suggests the rule of order in place of chaos. Peace can mean a
nation at peace, a cessation of hostilities between persons or groups, a state
of security and safety, or the tranquil state of a soul assured of its
salvation through Jesus. But remember always Jesus is the Prince of Peace, who
brings peace to the hearts of those who desire it.
Patience denotes
leniency and forbearance, and/or the ability to endure persecution and
ill-treatment. It describes a person who has the power to exercise revenge but
instead exercises restraint. To quote the Epistle to the Ephesians, we are to “live
in lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love."
Kindness is goodness in action,
sweetness of disposition, gentleness in dealing with others, benevolence, and
affability, in particular, the ability to act for the welfare of those taxing
your patience. Kindness is doing
something and not expecting anything in return. Kindness describes those in
positions of power who are benevolent to their subordinates.
Goodness means moral excellence of
one’s heart and one’s life. It is best summed up in the phrase, “Do the right
thing,” like helping another person who is in trouble, solving problems with
other people using compassion rather than judgment, being your true self rather
than hiding behind a false front to meet the expectations of others; finding a
way to be part of the solution to the problem rather than be a problem; and
being flexible to respond in the most loving way when conditions change.
To be faithful is to be loyal and
trusting of God. Conversely, it means being worthy of God’s trust in us. It
means transacting business in an honest way in the world and with God. The
Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that when we have faith in Jesus, we recognize
Him as “the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God."
Gentleness is softness operating
through faith. It is a disposition that is even-tempered, tranquil, balanced in
spirit, and unpretentious. The person who possesses this quality pardons
injuries, corrects faults, and rules his own spirit well.
Self-Control means that one has
one’s emotions, power and strength under control. Such a person does not act in
haste only to regret it at length.
Ten Lords-A-leaping means the Ten
Commandments. In reading and applying the Ten Commandments, we must always consider
what the words meant at the time they were used in the particular cultural
context in which they were set. Here’s
an example. Both versions of the Ten
Commandments, one from Exodus and the other from Deuteronomy, give a list of
things one should not covet, that is, one should not envy. In particular, the
commandments mention a man coveting the wife of another man. It also said don’t
covet someone else’s slave. In those days, wives and slaves were property, just
like the other things one should not covet, like oxen and donkeys. If we were
to read the commandments literally, it’s alright for a woman to covet another
woman’s husband. Modernly, however, at least in the Western world, women are
considered people equal to men, so the commandment against covetousness of
spouses ought to be a two-way street. And of course, and slavery has been
abolished and is now unacceptable no matter what the circumstances. No person can ever be the property of another
person consistent with our notions of human dignity.
So, rather than reflexively
interpret the Ten Commandments in the literal sense, I urge you to do the
research and dig for the meaning of what their words meant in the time in which
the events described in the Book of Exodus occurred. Think of the Ten
Commandments as a living document, not a dead one set in stone.
Eleven Pipers Piping means the
eleven faithful apostles. As you will recall, Jesus chose twelve apostles, but
Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus and was so ashamed of what he did that he
committed suicide, which left eleven. The identities of the Apostles are
different in all four canonical Gospels, but the agreed list is Peter, Andrew,
James the Great, John, Bartholomew also known as Nathanael, James the Less,
Jude, also called Thaddeus, Matthew, also called Levi, Phillip, Simon, and Thomas. In the Book of Acts, we learn
that Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot.
The Twelve Drummers Drumming represent
the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed, the version of the Creed
we use at Baptism and Confirmation. They are:
1. I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and
earth.
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of
the Virgin Mary.
4. Under Pontius Pilate, He was crucified, died, and was
buried.
5. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of
the Father.
7. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
9. the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,
10. the forgiveness of sins,
11. the resurrection of the body,
12. and the life everlasting.
Reciting, or singing the Creed as we do here sometimes, is
an important act of corporate worship for us. Although we may each have our own
interpretations of the Creed, it is something we do together as a sign of
unity.
I don’t know if the author of the
lyrics to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” intended to give to it the meanings
that I have ascribed to that song. Nonetheless, the issues I have discussed today
should motivate us to take deep dive into concepts important to what it means
to be a Christian.
The feast of the Epiphany has
traditionally been associated with the Magi and their gifts, and the light of
the star that lead them to the baby Jesus. If we dig deeper into the meaning of
the traditional Christmas song as we did today, we will appreciate the
practical value that each of these gifts represents for us as Christians and
how Jesus enlightens our lives.
Much of what I said is about gifts
we can give each other by way of attitude and personal behavior. Yes, Christmas is more than new clothes,
books, games, decorations, and food. As Deacon Sharon told us two weeks ago,
Christmas extends far beyond its twelve days but should permeate our lives all
year. AMEN.
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