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Christmas Special The Twelve Days of Christmas Code revealed
The Church Calendar has been a work in progress since the very beginning of the Church. From the early Christians following Our Lord's footsteps down the The Via Dolorosa (Latin for Way of Grief or Way of Suffering) to the birthday of the Lord.
As we move closer to Christmas, this year is a great reminder of the personal sacrifice I made during the Christmas Season. There was a point in time when Three out of four Christmas seasons I was deployed in Iraq. It's tough being deployed away from home for a year or more, but it becomes very difficult especially during the major holidays.
The Catholic Church instituted the 12 Days of Christmas in 567 through the Council of Tours. We do well to try and keep alive our traditions among us in a foreign land. I would use the song, "The 12 Days of Christmas" to inspire interest in the Season. For most Americans, Christmas is over after Christmas day. We have lost the understanding of the season of Christmas for the most part. I found this out simply through the song, "The 12 Days of Christmas". In fact, most thought that the 12 days of Christmas began before Christmas, that Christmas day ended the season.
The actual 12th day is January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany (the manifestation) with the Wise Men finding the Christ Child after about an 18 month journey following a star. On December 23, 2006 from Iraq, I wrote on Defenders of the Catholic Faith (DCF): Today, I was able to sing Christmas carols with Philippine women who work in our laundry department. It was kind of cool. These people are here to make money to send home. It is to such as these that Father began to go to for Holy Communion. These people have a strong faith and love the Church.