The Meaning of the "12 Days of Christmas" Song!

The 12 Days of Christmas is a catechism song that was originally meant to teach the faith to children during a time when it was illegal to practice the Catholic Faith. The song is a memory device to help the young remember the important parts of the faith. Enjoy the 12 days.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” celebrates the official Christmas season which starts liturgically on Christmas Day and ends twelve days later on the Feast of the Epiphany. My "true love" refers to God and "me" refers to the individual Catholic. Some believe there are more than one interpretation, so we have provided both.

Partridge in a Pear tree: Jesus Christ.

Two Turtle Doves: represent the two natures in Jesus, human and divine/the two Testaments.

Three French Hens: are the Three Persons in Trinity/Faith, Hope and Charity.

Four Calling Birds: the four gospels/four evangelists.

Five Golden Rings: are the first five books of Moses. 

Six Geese a Laying: Six days of creation.

Seven Swans a Swimming: are the Seven Sacraments/seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

Eight Maids a Milking: are the Eight Beatitudes. 

Nine Drummers Drumming: Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Ten Ladies Dancing: are the Ten Commandments. 

Eleven Pipers Piping: are the eleven Apostles who remained faithful after the treachery of Judas. 

The Twelve Lords a Leaping: are the twelve basic beliefs of the Catholic Church as outlined in the Apostles Creed. 

Don't Discount God During Advent!

Though Advent is happening on the liturgical calendar, the rest of the world is already celebrating Christmas with decorations in every shop window and every ad on television. There is no event on the American calendar that is so anticipated, so planned for, as that of Christmas. Media production companies, marketing firms, mall administrators, food caterers, toy manufacturers, and airlines were all thinking about and preparing for December 25th long before most of us. In truth, they were preparing, not so much for December 25th as for someone...namely, you. You were the object of their marketing meetings, their advertising campaigns, their flight scheduling, and their menus. All this preparation on your behalf should leave you with quite a special feeling, right?

Unfortunately, many people feel let down after the holidays. Annually, Christmas mysteriously raises our expectations, hopes and desires. It's as if there has been placed in our hearts a longing, a thirst, and a hunger for something that we can't quite put our finger on.

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3rd Roman Missal...Even For Teens!

My friend, Mark Hart, does a great job of communicating the new 3rd Roman Missal in a way we can all understand. We in the Cavins house are really enjoying the changes and find them stimulating and challenging...in a good way. How was your first week with the changes in the mass?

New Roman Missal for High School Teens - Word for Word by Life Teen from Life Teen on Vimeo.

Christmas...Think About It!

This video should really challenge us to rethink Christmas and how we spend our money. What would the world be like if we took to heart the content of this video? Do you grow tired, year after year, of buying gifts for people who really don't need anything, while others in the world are hungry and thirsty?

Note that the author of this video is a tenth grader who cares. I'm inspired when I see creative work like this. Hopefully we will all be inspired enough to change. 

Bible Timeline Seminar Coming To Maine!

This weekend I'll be at Holy Family Church in Old Town, Maine. On Friday night, November 18th I'll be giving a talk entitled, "I'm Not Being Fed," a talk about the need for the Eucharist. I've heard so many people say that they had to "leave the Catholic Church because they weren't being fed." I address that statement in this talk, which is open to the public. 

On Saturday I'll be conducting a seminar, "The Bible Timeline: The Story of Salvation." We will go through the entire Bible in one day. If you know of anyone in the Bangor area that may be interested, please help me in getting the word out. Students will recieve materials that will be very helpful in going through the entire bible. To attend you do not have to have any prior experience studying the bible.

Call 201-299-4987 or email Ellen Austin at ellentaustin@gmail.com.