"On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me - seven swans a-swimming ... "

I was back to work today, so the blog post is out a bit late, but it was on my mind quite a lot. How could I reflect Christmas, surrounded by whirlwind and with another celebratory event looming (New Year's Eve)? Nothing tied to the number 7 or swans was jumping out at me. Throughout the day, though, those swans kept swimming through my mind.

What role did swans play in the culture during the time this carol was written? They were both majestic and magical - and a delicacy. They were the subject of poems and fairy tales, operas and ballets - Swan Lake and Lohengrin are probably the most well-known today. Everyone recognizes this from Lohengrin - The Bridal Chorus.

The story behind Lohengrin is the story of the Knight of the Swan, which arose during the Crusades. The marriage between a lord and a beautiful, mysterious maiden he met in an enchanted forest produced 7 children - 6 boys and 1 girl - who became swans when the golden chains around their necks were removed. 1 of the sons was destined to pull the boat of a Knight of the Order of the Holy Grail.

Still - how can I bring this into this day? There are a lot of ways to go with this -

• 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6-8),
• 7 areas of growth (2 Peter 1:5-7),
• the 7 sacraments - for Catholics,
• the 7th Commandment - do not steal
• the 7th petition of the Lord's Prayer (deliver us from evil),
• uniting Christ with the church, his bride

You decide - but also act. For me, I've been looking at how I might treat my bride like Christ treats his.

Merry Christmas!

Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming