Very Merry 11th Day of Christmas

Merry 11th Day of Christmas! 

On this eleventh day of Christmas, I pondered the following questions:  

What is our mission in life? What are we called to do? 

Do we stay faithful to our mission even when the journey is difficult or long? 

What kind of music are we “piping” in our own lives? 

Do our actions bring joy, love and harmony to those around us? 

Through the years I have had some people question my faith or mock me for being optimistic. They ask how I can continue to find the good in bad situations. Or they wonder how I believe we can find joy in a world where terrible things happen. Sometimes it is difficult to deal with those who question me in this way. Feeling belittled or dismissed by them is discouraging. I will not change how I look at the world through the lenses of light and joy because I have faith in the message brought to the world by that special baby boy born in the manger. 

These thoughts made me consider the Apostles and how their lives must have changed when they became followers of Christ. They certainly “marched to the beat of a different drummer”. Did their friends and family think they were nuts? How did they feel when they were ridiculed for their faith in Jesus? How did they stand up to those who challenged what they were doing and saying? 

Why Eleven Pipers Piping on the Eleventh Day of Christmas? 

The eleven pipers represent the eleven faithful apostles: Simon Peter, James the Great, John, Simon (the Zealot), Jude (a.k.a. Thaddeus), Andrew, James the Less, Matthew, Phillip, Bartholomew, and Thomas. Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, is excluded.  

The music or piping of the pipers represent the proclamation of the Gospel. The Apostles, who were once followers of Christ, also became leaders who brought the Good News to all the nations. The eleven faithful Apostles stayed true to their mission; their “piping” was the joyful spread of Jesus’ message to the world. 

The Eleven Pipers remind us to be like the faithful apostles: share Christ’s message of love, hope and light clearly and loudly! Be confident in the messages we share and the work we do to bring joy and love to others. Don’t be afraid to make some noise about the things you believe in – and do it with joy even when others don’t understand you. 

Merry Christmas,
Karen 

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