Merry Christmas! Yes, it's STILL Christmas...and a good thing, too, since I have yet to send out Christmas cards, send my in-laws their Christmas gifts, and my husband just texted me to tell me he found a Christmas gift for me that he forgot about! Today is the 9th day of Christmas...9 Drummers Drumming. From various places you will find the "hidden meaning" behind the song...some are plausible, others not-so-plausible. The nine could represent the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit:

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Longsuffering (Patience)
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-control

or, it could represent the 9 choirs of angels. Either way, we can use the verses from the 12 Days of Christmas to remind us of our faith, or just let it be a fun song with funny gifts.

What we DO celebrate at the end of our 12 Days of Christmas is Epiphany...when we traditionally celebrate the Three Magi (or Wisemen, or Kings) coming to give homage to the King of Kings. We really do not know exactly when the Magi arrived in Judea to seek the Christ-child, but it is not likely that they arrived on the day/night of His birth. And according to the Scriptures, Herod had all male children aged 2 years and younger put to the sword, so it could have been a year or more since Jesus' birth that the Three Kings actually made it to Judea. It is then, that the angel tells Joseph to take the babe and His mother to Egypt and not return until instructed to. You can read the whole story in Matthew Chapter 2. The word "Epiphany" means manifestation or revelation of something, especially a deity. This is the celebration of the manifestation, the Incarnation, of Christ to the magi, and us. Technically, January 6th is Epiphany, but in the American Church, it has been moved to the following Sunday. In this case, both the Feast of Epiphany and the Baptism of our Lord will be celebrated on Sunday, January 8th.

Recall, that Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan river is when Christ is proclaimed by the Holy Spirit to be the Son of God. John recognizes Jesus as this even before they were born, when Mary visited Elizabeth and both were pregnant. John had the enviable knowledge that he was to be the "voice in the desert, preparing the way of the Lord". He acknowledges Jesus' Lordship even as Jesus asks John to baptize him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" (Mt. 3:14) I pray daily that I might know God's will for me and for me to have the strength to follow that will. John knew and did. May we all take his example to heart and work to be humble and obedient to God our Father and thankful for our filial life with Christ.

May we continue to celebrate the season of Christmas fully until January 8 and take the feelings of blessing and peace with us throughout the year ahead.

Infant Jesus, Pray for Us! St. John the Baptist, Pray for Us! St. Anthony, Pray for Us!