…and on the eighth day God created the horse in perfect image, to romp, graze, gallop, play, and make manure wherever it darn well pleases, in divine grace.
Joy to the world, Christmas blessings to all! I am sincerely wishing everyone a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
This week’s column is not about our equine friends but is instead dedicated to the Savior of the World, the Baby Jesus, the Divine Living Christ.
Have you ever looked at an adult, who is well-on in age, especially someone famous and distasteful? It is difficult to imagine that despicable creature as an infant or a little baby, innocent, and just babbling and cooing.
It is also difficult to contemplate the Mysteries of the Christ, and more difficult still to look at the Baby Jesus, away in the manger, and think that when He grew up, He would be ridiculed, spat upon, tortured, and crucified for His choices. His choices to show mankind and humanity a better Way to live.
Jesus the Christ is the one Being in the entire Universe that we can trust implicitly. You can bet the farm on Him, bet your life, take Him to bank, every time, and close your eyes and take a flying leap, knowing He will catch you. Not so with our fellow humans.
Here is some enlightening and interesting historical trivia concerning a favorite Christmas carol of old. (1) Yes, yes, yes, Jesus lost His sandals a long time ago, but this can still have spiritual meaning in our lives today.
It has its roots deep in the pasts of Christianity and the Catholic Church.
The Bible comes from the original Canon of the Catholic Church, it came right from Jesus and the Apostles themselves, though some of it was only written down after these Apostles were already deceased.
The following was overheard a lady’s church luncheon…
What in the world are leaping lords, swimming swans, French hens, and dancing ladies doing with the birth of the Christ, let alone be uplifted into a Christmas song?
Well, I’m about to tell you:
From 1558 all the way up to 1829, the Roman Catholics of England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. This was due to King Henry VIII, his divorce from Katherine of Aragon, and his split from the Church of Rome.
But those Catholics got around some of that by hiding religious catechisms in plain sight, so that young Catholics would know the true meaning of Creation and Christianity.
The Christmas carol, “A Partridge in a Pear Tree” is just such a clandestine code for religious reality.
The song is a catechism for youngsters with two levels of meaning. The surface meaning of gifts to a lover or spouse, and also a hidden meaning that only Catholics knew. Each element of the carol has a code word for a religious Truth and reality.
The “partridge” in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ.
Two “turtle doves” are the Old and New Testaments.
Three “French hens” stand for faith, hope, and love.
Four “calling birds” are the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Five “gold rings” recall the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah of Law.
Six “geese a-laying” stand for the six days of creation.
Seven “swans a-swimming” represent the seven-fold Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation (Encouragement), Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
The eight “maids a-milking” are the eight beatitudes of the Holy Christ Consciousness.
The nine “ladies dancing” are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
The ten “lords a-leaping” are the ten commandments.
The eleven “pipers piping” represent the eleven faithful Apostles, who stood by Jesus to see Him rise above death.
The twelve “drummers drumming” symbolize the Points of Belief in the Apostles’ Creed.
Who-da-thunk-it?
Again, in praise of our Lord Jesus Christ, you can’t go wrong with the long-haired carpenter dude in the sandals. So have a “Kewl Yule” and I’ll close out now with some of my old Espyville Buzz lines.
Stick around on Earth, you’re still needed here and your Christic mission is not yet complete. The beer is always cold, the fish are always biting, and people still have light in their hearts, so give them a chance.
Kiss your loved ones and then kiss the dog. Keep the ice off your bumper and the mud off your tail. Be kind to your teeth and your knees, you still need them.
Call an old friend or a sibling, as they are your links to your past and you all share common memories; you never know when they’ll be gone for good. Suspend your disbelief. Seek quiet times for prayer and meditation, seek the Light of the Christ.
Run that toy train under the Christmas tree and revel in joy of being a kid again. We are all really just children at heart - the children of the Prince of Peace.
Thank you for reading Horsin’ Around and keep on buyin’ the Community News.
Soon we will be ushering in a brand new year all over this great land of ours. I hope the bells that ring are Liberty Bells, signaling our Freedom and Sovereignty in the good, old USA, and in a Universal Truth.
We’ll talk soon.
Leaving you with sugar plums, candy canes, pecan pies, and ooey-gooey Christmas yummies, homemade in a warm kitchen by someone you love, to the immortal words of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, “Happy Trails to You.”
(1) - Courtesy the Conneaut Lake Area Historical Society