Twelve drummers drumming on the Twelfth Day of Christmas

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas... twelve drummer drumming. This CartoonChurch.com cartoon originally appeared in the Church Times and is taken from ‘My Pew: Things I have seen from it’, published by Canterbury Press

Patrick Comerford

Today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas, 5 January. We have reached the end of the Christmas festival, and tomorrow we celebrate the Epiphany.

The Twelfth Night parties in the middle ages could be quite rowdy. It was the Feast of Fools in which the order of the world was turned upside down, with fools reigning as kings and people taking on roles that were contrary to their true character. Shakespeare used this night as the setting for his play, Twelfth Night, in which he gives us a picture of such a topsy-turvy world as Viola masquerades as a man, people fall in love across class lines, and the lowly indulge in ridiculous delusions of grandeur.

It would be foolhardy to deny the Christian significance of all this. By the time the Wise Men arrive in Bethlehem, the Holy Family is living in neither a stable nor in an inn, but in a house. They find the King they have been searching for, but he is not living in a palace. The mediaeval Feast of Fools reminds us that Christmas celebrates nothing less than a world turned upside down in which God becomes man in order that man might become divine.

The Twelfth Day of Christmas is 5 January, and our celebrations of Christmas traditionally end tonight, on the Twelfth Night, which is then followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. The Twelve Days of Christmas are a festive period linking together these two Great Feasts of the Nativity and Theophany, so that one celebration leads into another.

In the Orthodox tradition, 5 January is the Eve of the Theophany, and a day of strict fasting, on which the devout will not eat anything until the first star is seen at night.

This day is known as Paramony (“preparation”) and is observed in a similar way to Christmas Eve. This morning is marked by the celebration of the Royal Hours, and then the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil combined with Vespers. At the conclusion, the Great Blessing of the Waters commemorates the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist in the waters of the River Jordan.

Some parallels may be drawn between the hymns sung on Paramony and those sung on Great or Good Friday, because the steps that Christ took into the waters of the Jordan were also his first steps on the way to the Cross.

The all-night vigil tonight is served for the Feast of the Theophany.

Nowadays, the Twelfth Day is the last day for decorations to be taken down. Some folklore holds that it is bad luck to take decorations down after this date. But in Elizabethan England, the decorations were left up until Candelmas, and this remains the tradition in Germany and many other European countries.



The twelfth verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
12 drummers drumming,
11 pipers piping,
10 lords a leaping,
nine ladies dancing,
eight maids-a-milking,
seven swans-a-swimming,
six geese-a-laying,
five golden rings,
four colly birds,
three French hens,
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christian interpretation of this song often sees the twelve drummers drumming as figurative representations of the twelve points of the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Church of Ireland Lectionary readings for the Eucharist today are: I John 3: 11-21; Psalm 100; John 1: 43-51.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Eleven pipers piping on the Eleventh Day of Christmas

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas ... eleven pipers piping; a pack of Christmas cards designed by the English designer, Julia Crossland

Patrick Comerford

The Eleventh Day of Christmas is 4 January. In North America, many churches recall Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint, on this day. She was born in New York City in August 1774 into a devout Episcopalian family. In 1794 she married William Magee Seton, a rich businessman. Elizabeth and her sister-in-law Rebecca Seton went on missions of mercy to help the poor of New York, and became known as the ‘Protestant Sisters of Charity.’

On a visit to Italy, William Seton died and Elizabeth later became a Roman Catholic before returning to the US. Elizabeth and Rebecca later organised the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph, who are still active today, teaching children and helping the poor.

The eleventh verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
11 pipers piping,
10 lords a leaping,
nine ladies dancing,
eight maids-a-milking,
seven swans-a-swimming,
six geese-a-laying,
five golden rings,
four colly birds,
three French hens,
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christian interpretation of this song often sees the eleven pipers piping as figurative representations of the eleven faithful disciples, counting out Judas: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot and Jude.

The Church of Ireland Lectionary readings for the Eucharist today are: I John 3: 7-10; Psalm 98: 1, 8-10; John 1: 35-42.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Ten lords-a-leaping on the Tenth Day of Christmas

Bishops leaping to their feet to speak in the House of Lord. On the Tenth Day of Christmas ... ten lords-a-leaping

Patrick Comerford

The Tenth Day of Christmas is 3 January. In modern Roman Catholic usage, today celebrates the Holy Name of Jesus, which is marked in most other traditions, including the Anglican and Lutheran traditions, on 1 January.

Saint Seraphim of Sarov was also recalled in the calendar of the Church of England yesterday. He is one of the best-known mystics and monks in the Russian Orthodox Church, and died on 2 January (OS) 1833. Seraphim’s best-loved quotation is: “Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved.”

The tenth verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
10 lords a leaping,
nine ladies dancing,
eight maids-a-milking,
seven swans-a-swimming,
six geese-a-laying,
five golden rings,
four colly birds,
three French hens,
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christian interpretation of this song often sees the ten lords-a-leaping as figurative representations of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17).

The Church of Ireland Lectionary readings for the Eucharist today are: I John 2: 29 – 3: 6; Psalm 98: 2-7; John 1: 29-34.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Winter lights and new beginnings

Fading winter lights at the Harbour in Skerries this afternoon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2011)

Patrick Comerford

After the celebrations of Christmas and New Year, and after the heavy snowfalls of recent weeks, life appears to be getting back to normal in Dublin.

Although tomorrow [Monday 3 January] is a public holiday to compensate for New Year’s Day falling on a Saturday, I imagine many shops and small businesses will be happy with any custom they can get tomorrow.

There were few people on the beach in Skerries this afternoon – perhaps many people found the weather too cold to keep up their New Year’s resolutions of taking more exercise and losing weight.

Despite the cold this afternoon as I walked along the beach, up around Red Island, and around the harbour. And yet, despite the cold and the grey clouds, I could see as far as the Mountains of Mourne, and the snow seems to have cleared from them too, even from the peaks, in the short space of a week or two.

The Olive on Strand Street was full when I eventually called in for a late lunch their wonderful espresso. Yes, those New Year’s resolutions must have been left behind.

The Anglican cycle of prayer? ... the Chapter House in Christ Church Cathedral this morning (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2011)

The Revd Robert Lawson, who preached at the Cathedral Eucharist in Christ Church Cathedral this morning, reminded us of the ten most popular New Year’s resolutions. He listed them as:

1, Stop smoking.
2, Get fit.
3, Lose weight.
4, Enjoy life more.
5, Quit drinking.
6, Organise myself.
7, Learn something new.
8, Get out of debt.
9, Spend more time with family.
10, Help people.

It was good to see Robert back in the pulpit this morning, and it is good to be reminded of beginnings at the beginning of the New Year.

The celebrant at the Eucharist this morning was the Revd Canon Dr John Bartlett, former Precentor of the Cathedral, and former Principal of the Church of Ireland Theological College. I was deacon, reading the Gospel and assisting at the altar. The Gospel reading this morning was the Prologue to Saint John’s Gospel (John 1: 1-18), which I read from the centre of the nave of the cathedral.

Raymond Brown describes the Prologue as “an early Christian hymn, probably stemming from Johannine circles, which has been adapted to serve as an overture to the Gospel narrative of the career of the incarnate Word.”

It is poetry, as is this morning’s Epistle reading, Ephesians 1: 3-14.

The poet who wrote the Prologue is a writer skilled in chiastic poetry, with his feet planted firmly in two worlds – the world of the the Old Testament and the world of of Hellenistic philosophy – so that his gaze wanders easily from one to the other. At every important point he has not only two thoughts instead of one, but is drawing on two sets of allusions and images.

However, many of our printed, English translations of the New Testament treat the Prologue as narrative and prose, and miss out on the inherent poetic beauty and construction of this passage:

1 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος,
καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν,
καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.
2 οὗτος ἦνἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.
3 πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο,
καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν ὃ γέγονεν.
4 ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν,
καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων:
5 καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇσκοτίᾳ φαίνει,
καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.

6 Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωποςἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ θεοῦ,
ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης:
7 οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν,
ἵναμαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός,
ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσιν δι' αὐτοῦ.
8 οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸφῶς,
ἀλλ' ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός.

9 ην τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν,
ὃ φωτίζειπάντα ἄνθρωπον,
ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον.
10 ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν,
καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι'αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο,
καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω.
11 εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθεν,
καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸνοὐ παρέλαβον.
12 ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν,
ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦγενέσθαι,
τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ,
13 οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων
οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς
οὐδὲ ἐκθελήματος ἀνδρὸς
ἀλλ' ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν.

14 Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν,
καὶἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ,
δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός,
πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας.

15 Ἰωάννης μαρτυρεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ
καὶ κέκραγεν λέγων,
Οὗτος ἦν ὃν εἶπον,
Ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενοςἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν,
ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν.
16 ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν,
καὶχάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος:
17 ὅτι ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη,
ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο.
18 θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε:
μονογενὴς θεὸς
ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς
ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.

And that is the heart of the Christmas message: The word became flesh and came to dwell among us, came to live with us – or, as Saint John phrases it, “pitched his tent among us.”

Happy New Year. May you enjoy and rejoice in God’s presence among us in the year to come.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Nine Ladies Dancing on the Ninth Day of Christmas

On the Ninth Day of Christmas ... Nine Ladies Dancing

Patrick Comerford

Today is the Ninth Day of Christmas, 2 January, and the Second Sunday of Christmas. As this is the first Sunday of the year, it is appropriate that the Gospel reading at the Eucharist is the opening portion of Saint John’s Gospel, which reminds us: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … He was in the world, and the world came into being through him.”

In the Roman Catholic tradition and in many Anglican churches, including the Calendar of the Church of England, when this day falls on a weekday it commemorates Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishops and Teachers of the Faith in the fourth century. They were defenders of the doctrine of the incarnation, and so it is appropriate to remember them during the 12 days of Christmas.

The Orthodox calendar celebrated Saint Basil yesterday, and in the Orthodox tradition 2 January instead marks the beginning of the Forefeast of the Theophany, which reaches its climax on 5 January.

The ninth verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
nine ladies dancing,
eight maids-a-milking,
seven swans-a-swimming,
six geese-a-laying,
five golden rings,
four colly birds,
three French hens,
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christian interpretation of this song often sees the nine ladies dancing as figurative representations of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit:

● Love,
● Joy,
● Peace,
● Patience,
● Kindness,
● Goodness,
● Faithfulness,
● Gentleness, and
● Self-control

(see Galatians 5: 19-23).

The Lectionary readings for the Eucharist today are: Jeremiah 31: 7-14 (or Ecclesiasticus 24: 1-12); Psalm 147: 13-21 (or Wisdom 10: 15-21); Ephesians 1: 3-14; John 1: (1-9) 10-18.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Eight maids-a-milking on the Eighth Day of Christmas

On the Eighth Day of Christmas .. the naming and circumcision of the Christ Child, depicted in a stained-glass window in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2010)

Patrick Comerford

Today is the Eighth Day of Christmas, 1 January. In the Book of Common Prayer 2004 of the Church of Ireland, this day recalls the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus; in other parts of the Anglican Communion, this day is simply the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.

Saint Luke recalls in his Gospel that, in accordance with Jewish tradition and law, eight days after his birth Jesus was circumcised and named. Mary and Joseph named their son Jesus because the angel told them that “he will save his people.” In Hebrew, the name Joshua means “the Lord will save.” There is an English tradition of remembering godparents on this day.

The Holy Family, by the Venetian painter Giovanni Pittoni , in the Chapel of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2009)

In many parts of the Roman Catholic tradition, 1 January is marked as the Feast of the Holy Family. One of the most striking features on entering the chapel in Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where I have studied for the past three years, is the remarkably altar-piece, The Holy Family, by the Venetian painter Giovanni Pittoni, which was bought in 1783 for 20 guineas.

In the Orthodox tradition, 1 January is the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord. But this day is also the feast day of Saint Basil the Great, and so the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil is served on this day.

Cutting the Vasilopita (βασιλόπιτα) in the Greek Orthodox Church in Dublin last January (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2010)

In Greece, it is customary to bake a bread or cake called Vassilopita (βασιλόπιτα), which has a coin baked into it – the person who gets the coin in his or her piece of cake is said to be destined for many blessings in the coming year. Saint Basil has a Santa-like place in Greek lore. Many private or public institutions – such as societies, clubs, workplaces, companies, and so on – cut their Vasilopita at another time between New Year’s Day and the beginning of the Great Lent, with celebrations ranging from impromptu pot-luck gatherings to formal receptions or balls.

The cake is served in a traditional sequence: the first piece is set aside for Saint Basil, one of the “Three Hierarchs”; the second piece is for the home; and the rest of the cake is then handed out amongst family members, from the oldest to the youngest, each hoping to find the hidden coin in their slice.

The Three Holy Hierarchs

The Three Holy Hierarchs (Οι Τρείς Ιεράρχες) are Saint Basil the Great (Saint Basil of Caesarea), Saint Gregory the Theologian (Saint Gregory of Nazianzus) and Saint John Chrysostom. These three highly influential bishops from the Early Church played pivotal roles in shaping our theology.

In 11th century Constantinople, there were disputes about which of the three hierarchs was the greatest. Some argued that Saint Basil was superior to the other two because of his explanations of Christian faith and his monastic example. Those who argued for Saint John Chrysostom countered that the “Golden Mouthed” (Χρυσόστομος) Patriarch of Constantinople was unmatched in both eloquence and in bringing sinners to repentance. Those who preferred Saint Gregory the Theologian pointed to the majesty, purity and profundity of his sermons and his defence of the faith against the Arian heresy.

All three have separate feast days in January: Saint Basil on 1 January, Saint Gregory on 25 January, and Saint John Chrysostom on 27 January. Eastern Orthodox tradition says the three hierarchs appeared together in 1084 in a vision to Saint John Mauropous of Euchaita and said that they were equal before God: “There are no divisions among us, and no opposition to one another.” As a result, around 1100 the Emperor Alexios Komnenos declared 30 January a feast day commemorating all three in common.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas .. eight maids-a-milking

The eighth verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
eight maids-a-milking,
seven swans-a-swimming,
six geese-a-laying,
five golden rings,
four colly birds,
three French hens,
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eighth day of breast feeding the Christ Child, the maiden mother Mary brought the Holy Family to acknowledge the covenant between God and the People of Faith when she had the Christ Child named and circumcised. But the Christian interpretation of this song often sees the eight maids-a-milking as figurative representations of the eight Beatitudes:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 5: 2-10).

The Lectionary readings for the Eucharist today are: Numbers 6: 22-27; Psalm 8; Galatians 4: 4-7; Luke 2: 15-21.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Six geese-a-laying on the Sixth Day of Christmas

On the Sixth Day of Christmas ... six geese-a-laying; geese on the banks of the Cam behind King’s College, Cambridge (Photograph: Tenaya Hurst)

Patrick Comerford

The Sixth Day of Christmas, 30 December, is a quiet day in the Church calendar, without commemorations, although the Episcopal Church (TEC) recalls Frances Joseph-Gaudet (1934), the Educator and Prison Reformer, on this day.

I was late sending out Christmas cards this year. If mine arrives today I hope you are reminded that Christmas continues for twelve days; if it does not arrive, please forgive me. For many people, the next two days may be quite busy with lots of guests, and preparations for ringing in the New Year. Perhaps today is a good day to begin preparing for the New Year, to begin making resolutions that have a truly spiritual and Christian intent.

The sixth verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Six geese-a-laying,
five golden rings,
four colly birds,
three French hens,
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christian interpretation of this song often sees the six geese a-laying as figurative representations of the six days of Creation (see Genesis 1).

The Church of Ireland Lectionary readings for the Eucharist today are: I John 2: 12-17; Psalm 96: 7-10; Luke 2: 36-40.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Five golden rings on the Fifth Day of Christmas

On the Fifth Day of Christmas: five golden rings

Patrick Comerford

The Fifth Day of Christmas, 29 December, is the Feast of Saint Thomas Becket in many parts of the Anglican Communion. In 1170, on the Fifth Day of Christmas, four knights from the court of King Henry II burst into Canterbury Cathedral as the archbishop was on his way to Vespers. Inside the cloister door, they murdered Thomas Becket, whose defence of the rights of the Church had angered his one-time friend, the king. Within three years, Thomas was canonised, and the shrine of Saint Thomas of Canterbury would become one of the most popular destinations for pilgrims.

In his play, Murder in the Cathedral, TS Eliot reconstructs from historical sources the archbishop’s final sermon, preached in Canterbury Cathedral on Christmas Day. It is a remarkable meditation on the meaning of Christmas, martyrdom, and the true meaning of “peace on earth.”

In the Orthodox tradition, this day is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, which was observed yesterday in the Anglican and Roman Catholic traditions.

The fifth verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
five golden rings,
four colly birds,
three French hens,
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christian interpretation of this song often sees the five golden rings as figurative representations of the Torah or the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

The Church of Ireland Lectionary readings for the Eucharist today are: I John 2: 7-11; Psalm 96: 1-9; Luke 2: 23-35.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Four colly birds on the Fourth Day of Christmas

The Slaughter of the Innocents by Domenico Ghirlandaio: the fresco is part of a series of panels in the Cappella Tornabuoni in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, dating from 1486-1490

Patrick Comerford

The Fourth Day of Christmas, 28 December, is the Feast of the Holy Innocents in the Book of Common Prayer, and is known in some places as “Childermass.” The story of the Holy Innocents is one of the most poignant stories in the Bible: “Rachel weeping for her children ... because they are no more.”

I had lost my innocence by late teens: by 19, I was trying to break out as a freelance journalist in England with the Lichfield Mercury, wondering whether I should give up the “day job” as a trainee chartered surveyor; by the age of 20 I had my own flat in Wexford, where I was working as a staff journalist with the Wexford People. I remember one Christmas in Wexford in those days of the 1970s how Maurice Sinnott suggested that this day, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, would be a good day for the Churches to recall the victims of war, particularly the children who had been killed by the Hiroshima bomb.

Holy Innocents’ Day is the traditional day for the installation of a Boy Bishop in some English cathedrals. This is a day when children could have pre-eminence in family life, leading the family prayers, making decisions about family activities for the day, having the place of honour at meals, and so on.

Oscar Schindler famously said: “Whoever saves the life of one saves the entire world.” He was referring to a well-known teaching in the Talmud: “Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world” (Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 4: 8, 37a). It is a teaching that has inspired the inscription on medals awarded to the Righteous Gentiles, those brave people who risked their own lives to save the lives of Jews during the Holocaust: “Whoever saves a single soul, it is as if he had saved the whole world.”

The obvious deduction from that, of course, is: Whoever destroys the innocence of one child, it is as if he has destroyed the innocence of all children, as if he has destroyed the childhood of everyone. It is for this reason that Jesus reserves his most severe and most frightening warning and rebuke for those sort of people (see Mark 9: 42; Luke 17: 2).

This is an appropriate day to remember those children whose innocence has been destroyed by people working in the Church.

But this is a good day too to give thanks for the children in our lives, whether in our own families or in the larger family of the Church. And it is a good day to revive the ancient custom of parents blessing their children at the end of the day as part of their nightly prayers.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas ... four colly birds

The fourth verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
four colly birds,
three French hens,
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.

Colly birds were blackbirds, but the Christian interpretation of this song often describes them as “calling birds” so that they come to represent the Four Evangelists or the Four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Lectionary readings for the Eucharist today are: Jeremiah 31: 15-17; Psalm 124; I Corinthians 1: 26-29; Matthew 2: 13-18.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Three French hens on the Third Day of Christmas

On the Third Day of Christmas ... three French hens

Patrick Comerford

The Third Day of Christmas, 27 December, is marked in some parts of the Roman Catholic tradition as the Feast of the Holy Family, but it is the Feast of Saint John the Evangelist in the Book of Common Prayer throughout the Anglican Communion. This is the second of three Prayer Book Holy Days immediately following Christmas Day.

Traditionally, in the Western church, the third and final Masses of Christmas, the “Mass of the Day,” has as its Gospel the beginning of Saint John’s Gospel, which proclaims the mystery of the Word made flesh. Throughout the 12 Days of Christmas this year, the readings for the Eucharist in the daily lectionary of the Church of Ireland take us gently through the First Letter of Saint John, and time and again call us back to reading the Gospel according to Saint John.

“Little children, love one another” ... Saint John on his death-bed, from the Saint John window in Chartres Cathedral.

Jerome, in his commentary on Galatians 6 (Jerome, Comm. in ep. ad. Gal., 6, 10), tells the well-loved story that John the Evangelist continued preaching even when he was in his 90s and was so enfeebled with old age that they had to carry him into the Church on a stretcher. And when he was no longer able to preach or to deliver a long discourse, his custom was to lean up on one elbow on every occasion and say simply: “Little children, love one another.”

This continued on, week-by-week, even when the ageing John was on his deathbed. Then he would lie back down and his friends would carry him back out.

Every week the same thing happened, again and again. And every week it was the same short sermon, exactly the same message: “Little children, love one another.”

One day, the story goes, someone asked him about it: “John, why is it that every week you say exactly the same thing, ‘little children, love one another’?”

And John replied: “Because it is enough.”

If you want to know the basics of living as a Christian, there it is in a nutshell. All you need to know is. “Little children, love one another.” If you want to know the rules, there they are. And there’s only one: “Little children, love one another.”

As far as John is concerned, if you have put your trust in Christ, then there is only one other thing you need to know. So week after week, he would remind them, over and over again: “Little children, love one another.”

That is all he preached in Ephesus, week after week, and that is precisely the message he keeps on repeating in this letter, over and over again: “Little children, love one another.”

According to ancient tradition, Saint John was once given a cup of poisoned wine, but drank it with no ill effect. A chalice with a serpent signifying the powerless poison is one of his symbols. In spite of exile and attempts to kill him, Saint John lived to a great old age. The image of Saint John with the poisoned chalice is still seen above the main gate of Saint John’s College, Cambridge (right, photograph: Patrick Comerford).

There is a custom in some places of blessing wine on this day, Saint John’s Day, and drinking a toast to the love of God and to the saint. Today is a good day to spend some time reading and meditating on the opening words of his Gospel, John 1: 1-14, or to begin reading the Letters of Saint John.

In the Orthodox tradition, this third day of Christmas is known also the feast day of the Protodeacon and Protomartyr Saint Stephen.

The third verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, begins to show some metrical variance:

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
three French hens,
two turtle doves,
and a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christian interpretation of this song often sees the three French hens as figurative representations of the three theological virtues – faith, hope and love (see I Corinthians 13: 13). Others say they represent the three persons of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or the three gifts of the Wise Men, gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Lectionary readings for the Eucharist today are: Exodus 33: 7-11a; Psalm 117; I John 1; John 21: 19b-25.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

I’m not dreaming of a White Christmas, ever again

Snow at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, this morning (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2010)

Patrick Comerford

I’m not dreaming of a White Christmas – no, not ever, never.

South Dublin has been covered in snow for most of December, and I have never, ever, lived in a place so cold, so shiverringly cold.

When people bemoan about how inappropriate it must be to sing winter carols in places such as Australia, South Africa and Argentina, they can forget it. I’m not listening.

I don’t mean to be the Christmas Grinch this year. But this is the coldest winter in my memory. No-one can imagine how much I am now looking forward to some Mediterranean sunshine in 2011.

Temperatures rose to 5C at some points today – that’s a rise of 15 to 17 degrees or more above the coldest parts of the last few weeks.

Yes, the thaw is showing its first signs today. But even daytime has been a nightmare over the last few weeks, hoping not to slip, slide, fall, or break a limb; digging out a parking space in front of the house, only to find someone else slides into it; trying to book a taxi only to be told no taxis are available – despite the constant complaint by taxi drivers that there are too many taxis on the streets of Dublin these days.

But I had deep sympathy for the taxi driver who brought me home from Christ Church Cathedral after the Midnight Eucharist on Christmas Eve: as we inched slowly up along Firhouse Road, his window was banged repeatedly by young louts who shouted out racist comments, so much for peace on earth, goodwill to all ...

That Midnight Eucharist on Christmas Eve was the last one for Archbishop John Neill as Archbishop of Dublin. How sorely he is going to be missed when he retires at the end of next month.

On Christmas Day, returning home from Christmas dinner in my sister-in-law’s house in Clontarf was another precarious adventure, and one I would like not to repeat.

Snow in Glenvara Park, Knocklyon, this morning (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2010)

It was obvious as I headed out of Glenvara Park this morning [26 September] that the thaw had started, even though the whole area was still covered in a white blanket of snow.

Compared with the large congregations in the weeks before Christmas, we were a faithful few this morning, less than two dozen. The congregation fitted comfortable into the chapter and choir stalls, and in his sermon former Precentor and Principal of the Church of Ireland Theological College, the Revd Dr Adrian Empey, recalled Saint Stephen and how important it is to remember the martyrs at Christmas-tide.

Of course, the incarnation is God’s witness to us in Christ; the martyrs are our witness to God in Christ. Christmas is about God coming among us; the martyrs remind us of our need to be with God.

Swans on the Grand Canal at Harold’s Cross early this afternoon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2010)

On the way home, a large collection of swans had gathered on the Grand Canal underneath and beside the bridge at Harold’s Cross. Seven swans-a-swimming? There must have been seventy swans-a-swimming at lunchtime today. Some were even standing on the canal’s frozen water, all were only too eager to be fed bread by thoughtful passers-by.

I’ve been frozen this winter in Dublin. But I’ve been fed spiritually this Christmas. And I’m looking forward to the New Year – but with a little less cold and snow, please.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Two turtle doves on the Second Day of Christmas

On the Second Day of Christmas ... two turtle doves


Patrick Comerford

Today is 26 December, Saint Stephen’s Day and the Second Day of Christmas. In many places, this day is also known as Boxing Day, for on this day Christmas boxes were given to service workers, such as postal workers and trades people. It is a holiday in several countries, and whatever the explanation for the name “Boxing Day,” it is a reminder that this is a day to be generous to those who are less fortunate than we are. The day after Christmas Day is a particularly good day to put the spirit of giving into practice.

Giving is so appropriate, for this day celebrates the first person to give his life for Christ, Saint Stephen, who was also one of the first deacons ordained to serve the poor.

Some years ago, (Bishop) Michael Burrows argued persuasively in the General Synod of the Church of Ireland that when 26 December falls on a Sunday our priority should be to observe this day as Saint Stephen’s Day rather than as the First Sunday of Christmas, for there is a close link between witnessing to the Incarnate Christ and the suffering of the Martyrs.

An icon of Saint Stephen, the first deacon and the martyr

Another saint closely associated with this day is Saint Wenceslas of Bohemia whose charity to the poor on Saint Stephen’s Day is remembered in John Mason Neale’s well-loved carol.

In the Orthodox tradition, the second day of Christmas is known as the “Synaxis of the Theotokos,” and commemorates the role of the Virgin Mary in the Incarnation. In other years in the Orthodox tradition, the Sunday after the Nativity has its own liturgical commemoration in honour of “The Righteous Ones”: Joseph the Betrothed, David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord.

The second verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
two turtle doves,
and a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christian interpretation of this song often sees the two turtle doves as figurative representations of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Lectionary provides two sets of readings for the Eucharist today:

The First Sunday of Christmas: Isaiah 63: 7-9; Psalm 148; Hebrews 2: 10-18; Matthew 2: 13-23.

Saint Stephen: II Chronicles 24: 20-22; Psalm 119: 161-168; Acts 7: 51-60; Matthew 10: 17-22.

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

A partridge in a pear tree on the first day of Christmas

Love came down at Christmas … an icon of the Nativity of Christ

Patrick Comerford

Despite the heavy snow that has blanketed much of northern Europe, there has been a shopping frenzy almost everywhere for the past two weeks. And for the past two weeks we have been constantly told when Christmas begins … when you send the Christmas cards … when you start shopping in one or other shopping centre … when you buy a particular brand of clothes or food … when Santa arrives in his grotty grotto … or when the sales start in the high street shops.

Most of us have been singing Christmas carols rather than Advent carols for the past few weeks – even in our churches.

I imagine with all this misappropriation of the meaning of times and seasons, if I were to ask most people which are the 12 days of Christmas they would probably answer 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 December.

But today, 25 December, is the First Day of Christmas, not the Twelfth Day of Christmas. This is Christmas Day. The festival and the festivities begin today. Christmastide has arrived.

In mediaeval England, the 12 Days of Christmas marked a period of continuous feasting and merry-making that reached its climax on Twelfth Night, the traditional end of the Christmas Season. Often, a Lord of Misrule was chosen to lead the revels.

The Twelfth Day of Christmas is 5 January, and our celebrations of Christmas traditionally end on the Twelfth Night, which is then followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. The Twelve Days of Christmas are a festive period linking together these two Great Feasts of the Nativity and Theophany, so that one celebration leads into another.

In the Orthodox tradition, the 12 Days of Christmas are observed as a fast-free period of celebration, although for those Orthodox Churches following the Julian calendar Christmas Day falls on 7 January and for the Armenian churches Christmas is celebrated on 6 January. In the Orthodox tradition, then, the Nativity of Christ is a three-day celebration, recalling not only the Birth of Christ, but also his adoration by the Shepherds of Bethlehem and the arrival of the Magi.

The Twelve Days of Christmas is a traditional Christmas song that counts out a series of increasingly generous gifts given by the singer’s “true love” on each of the 12 Days of Christmas.

The song may have French origins, but it was first published in England in 1780. It may have its beginnings in a Twelfth Night “memories-and-forfeits” game, in which a leader recited a verse, each of the players repeated the verse, the leader added another verse, and so on until one of the players made a mistake. The player who erred at the end then had to pay a forfeit, such as offering up a kiss or a sweet.

The earliest well-known version of the music of the song was recorded by English scholar James O Halliwell in 1842. However, the early 20th century arrangement by the English composer Frederic Austen has since become the standard.

If my true love followed through with the 12 Days of Christmas, I would end up with 224 birds in all: 12 partridges, 22 turtle doves, 30 French hens, 36 colly (or calling) birds, 40 gold rings (pheasants), 42 geese and 42 swans.

Since 1984, the cumulative costs of the items mentioned in the song have been used as a tongue-in-cheek economic indicator, a custom began with and is maintained by PNC Bank. Two pricing charts are drawn up, referred to as the Christmas Price Index and The True Cost of Christmas. The former is an index of the current costs of one set of each of the gifts given sent by the True Love to the singer of the song; the latter is the cumulative cost of all the gifts with the repetitions listed in the song. Of course, the people mentioned in the song are hired, not bought. The original cost of all goods and services at Christmas 1984 was $12,623.10. The total costs of all goods and services according to the Christmas Price Index this year (2010) is $23,439.

One explanation of the song suggests that the gift on each day represents the food or sport for each month of the year and the lines that survive today are merely an irreligious travesty.

However, another explanation suggests that the lyrics were written as a catechism song to help young people learn their faith, at a time when celebrations of Christmas were discouraged, frowned on, or prohibited, during the Cromwellian era (1649-1660), or when Roman Catholics suffered under penal laws.

But this attempt to antedate a relatively modern song is without foundation, but all the truths affirmed in this interpretation are common to Anglicans and Roman Catholics, and are shared too by the traditions that developed out of the Cromwellian era, including the Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Baptists.

Snow on snow … Lichfield Cathedral seen from the gardens of Darwin House this week by Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield

The first verse of the traditional song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is:

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ...
a partridge in a pear tree.

Christian interpretations of this song often see the partridge in a pear tree as a figurative representation of Christ on the Cross, so that God, in his infinite love, sent on Christmas Day the gift of Christ the Saviour. As the poet Christina Rossetti wrote, “Love came down at Christmas” (Church Hymnal, Church of Ireland, 2000, # 170):

Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas:
star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
love incarnate, love divine;
worship we our Jesus:
but wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token;
love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
love for plea and gift and sign.

A mother partridge feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13: 34).

Three sets of lectionary readings are provided for the Eucharist today:

Set 1, Isaiah 9: 2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2: 11-14; Luke 2: 1-14 (15-20).

Set 2, Isaiah 62: 6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3: 4-7; Luke 2: (1-7), 8-20.

Set 3, Isaiah 52: 7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1: 1-4 (5-12); John 1: 1-14 (15-18).

Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

The story of Christmas

The Nativity depicted in a stained-glass window in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2010)

This morning’s edition of The Irish Times carries the following main editorial comment:

The story of Christmas

THE MAIN Christian Churches share a common lectionary, and so share the same Scripture readings in church, week by week. Since the end of November, Christians around the world have been preparing for Christmas throughout Advent with readings from the first Gospel, according to Saint Matthew.

Saint Matthew’s account of the first Christmas is unique. There is no Christmas story in the Gospels according to Saint Mark and Saint John. And, unlike Saint Luke, whose Nativity account is being read in churches tomorrow, Saint Matthew has no Annunciation, no Visitation, no census that forces Joseph and Mary to move from Nazareth, and no shepherds on wintry hills who hear the angels singing. Saint Matthew has the story of the Magi, wise men who visit from the East, but his narrative lacks the romance found in Saint Luke’s account. Matthew’s story-telling is both brutal and direct: he tells of Herod’s slaughter of innocent children and of the forced exile of a young couple and their infant who seek refuge in Egypt.

Matthew makes a silent hero of Joseph. Like his Old Testament counterpart, the Joseph of Saint Matthew’s Gospel is a dreamer who goes into exile in Egypt. At first reading, he appears to have only a walk-on part – not the sort of role children vie for in school nativity plays. Joseph has no words to say; he remains silent throughout the first Gospel. But Joseph is no idle dreamer: he is both a dreamer and a doer. He dreams, he hears, he reflects ... and he acts. He is a man of vision and a man of action.

In a world that is sometimes brutal and harsh, it is appropriate to remember this Christmas that the cold and the snow isolate the elderly and the vulnerable; that the present economic crisis poses its greatest threats to young mothers and children living in poverty; that this country is in danger of becoming a place that is cold and unwelcoming to those forced into exile or seeking refuge.

Christina Rossetti’s well-loved carol In the Bleak Midwinter is appropriate in this bleak, snow-blanketed island this Christmas:

In the bleak mid-winter
frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
snow on snow,
in the bleak mid-winter
long ago.

Her carol reminds us that Christmas is less about what we can buy and hope to be given, and more about love incarnate:

What can I give him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give him,
give my heart.

The Joseph of Saint Matthew’s Gospel acts not out of self-interest but in the interests of his wife and her child. His dreams and his actions save the day. In this snow-covered land, even if winter is made more bleak by our economic crisis, we should celebrate that we continue to have dreamers who dream and whose visions may lead to action and take us out of our plight. It is they who keep alive the promise and the hope of a bright future for all, particularly for the young, the unemployed, the elderly, the vulnerable and the marginalised.