Twelve days of Christmas - French hens

 

We are working our way through the lovely old carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, which apparently was used by folks in the Catholic church to help their children learn the catechism. I think there are some things here that help focus our thoughts on all of the gifts that God has given us. 

And Christmas is a great time to focus on those blessings!

Next in the lineup is "three French hens," and they stand for the three virtues of faith, hope, and charity. 

What is faith?

Do you have a good definition?

The catechism the children learned probably said something like, "faith is the virtue by which we firmly believe all the truths that God has revealed."

I've heard it said that there are three types of faith. There is knowing faith, showing faith, and saving faith. 

Here's what I mean . . . almost anyone can have an example of "knowing" faith. We know who the leader of our country is. We know what gravity is. We can say we know Who God is. But so can the demons, right?

You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. (James 2:19)

So what is "showing" faith? Showing faith is when we show our faith by the things we do and the lives we live.

and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. (James 2:16-17)

Then, there's "saving" faith. 

 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:40) 

The second "hen" is hope. . . . certainly we believers have a blessed hope!

to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised [a]long ages ago, (Titus 1:2)

Hope is not wishful thinking . . . it's not us saying, "Well, I don't know but I hope it happens." Christian hope is when God has promised that something is going to happen and we put our trust in that promise. It's a confidence that something will come to pass because God says so. If our future is secured and satisfied by God, then we will not waste time with fear or with thinking about ourselves and our future. We won't be preoccupied with those things, so we can take care of and care about other people.

In other words, hope is the birthplace of charity - Christian, self-sacrificing love. We let God take care of us, and we are able to be there for other people.

Charity refers to the love that we have toward other people. Paul stressed it:

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother....

 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. (Romans 14:13,15, ESV)

And Paul also praised the Thessalonians for it: 

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. (II Thessalonians 1:3)

John encouraged the believers to show charity toward strangers, as well as to fellow-Christians:

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 

who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. (III John 1:5-6)

Three French hens . . . we can remember the virtues of faith, hope, and charity.