Contemplative Christmas

Sunday, January 5

The Eleventh Day

Reading:

“…one of the men who have accompanied us…must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” [1]

Reflection:

The gift of the eleventh day of Christmas in the song is eleven pipers piping. Eleven refers to the 11 faithful disciples, which excludes Judas. Pipers are known to lead others through music. So the song’s symbolism refers to the disciple’s role in leading others to faith in God.

            The number 11 elicits seemingly conflicting imagery. On the one hand, it sometimes represents incompleteness, positioned as it is between two numbers of completion – 10 and 12. For example, following the death of Judas, the first decision for the remaining 11 disciples was to select another follower to bring their number back to 12. Alternatively, 11 displays symmetry and balance, composed as it is of two identical numbers positioned side by side.

            In reflecting on various meanings of the 12 days of Christmas I have shared different ways to think about them, from fundamental Christian imagery that will be meaningful to some and trite to others, to obscure concepts from ancient sciences like Numerology and timeless symbolic inferences often used in dream interpretation. Unfortunately, to keep these reflections short (and to accommodate my limited depth of knowledge), I provided little justification for any of them.

            One reason symbols like words, images, and numbers are worthy of our attention is not to answer life’s perplexing questions but to experience the bottomless well of possibility that presents itself when we explore beyond the literal meanings of them. Literalism usually provides only the shallowest of understandings. Particularly when words, images, or numbers recur in our lives, whether in dreams, readings, or circumstance, it is an invitation to explore less-than-obvious possibilities. For example, 40 is a common recurring number in the Bible, as in the 40 years of wandering in the desert by the Israelites, Noah’s 40 days and nights of rain on the ark, and Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness. Such recurrences hint that 40 is more than a space filler between 39 and 41. 40 years does not mean 40 literal years; it means a long time – perhaps a lifetime or a generation or an extended cycle of transformation. Symbolic significance is revealed by considering what the symbol meant to past generations in the context of the current circumstances of our lives.

Closing Meditation:

What word, image, or number is recurring in my life? How might I understand it differently?

Journal the thoughts and feelings that arise.

This daily series, Contemplative Christmas, is replacing my weekly Life Notes until January 6, 2025, when my weekly blog will resume. The thoughts expressed here are mine. To engage with me: ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Acts 1:21-22.