Tenth Day of Christmas

THE CONTROVERSY OVER THE SONG "THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS"

In the last 20 or so years, there has been quite a bit of controversy over the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. Some say it was a cryptic catechism song, used by the persecuted Catholics of England as a means to teach their children some rudimentary teachings of the Faith under the disguise of a seemingly harmless song. Others contest this, by saying that there is no evidence to back-up this claim and say that the alleged points of doctrine to be found hidden in the song, are ... (click here to read more)

"...Ten Lords-A-Leaping"

Fleeing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha.

Moses pleads for mercy for the Israelites on the mountain.

Moses having received the Ten Commandments written by the hand of God Himself.

The Ten Commandments of God

Solomon's Temple: front elevation.

Our Lord cures the ten lepers

Only one cured leper returns to give thanks to Our Lord

THE NUMBER TEN
The number TEN reminds of many several things to do with our Faith, here are a few:

The TEN Commandments given by God to Moses.
The TEN times the Israelites tempted God in the desert, provoking God's intent to destroy them all in the desert.
The TEN as a measurement and a number in the building of Solomon's Temple.
The TEN Lost Tribes of Israel.
The TEN Virgins, five of whom were wise, but five were foolish.
The TEN lepers whom Jesus cured, of whom only one came back to give thanks.

THE LORDS
The lord is not a king, yet he is still a ruler of sorts. In the Medieval feudal system, the lord was under the king and ruled, in a sense, for the king in a certain area allotted to him. Similarly, the Commandments are not God Himself, but they under God, in that they come from God and have been appointed by God to rule our behavior. They are principles, like princes, who give to us the mind and wishes of the king, in this case God.

THE SYMBOLISM OF LEAPING
Leaping evokes an idea of ENERGY. We have phrases that testify to this: "He leapt into battle!" He leapt out of bed!" "He leapt out of the way!" Holy Scripture gives us a beautiful phrase along the same lines: “Thy almighty Word leapt down from heaven from Thy royal throne, as a fierce conqueror into the midst of the land of destruction” (Wisdom 18:15).

Leaping, therefore, if it evokes the idea of ENERGY, also necessarily must evoke the idea of EFFORT. This is most applicable to the Commandments in particular and the to the exercises of the spiritual life in general. They all require effort and energetic effort if they are to achieve what they are meant to achieve and what we hope they will achieve, namely our salvation.

THE TEN JUST MEN GOD SOUGHT TO SPARE SODOM AND GOMORRHA
“And the Lord said: ‘Can I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievous!’ Abraham as yet stood before the Lord and drawing nigh he said: ‘Wilt Thou destroy the just with the wicked? If there be fifty just men in the city, shall they perish withal? And wilt Thou not spare that place for the sake of the fifty just, if they be therein?’ And the Lord said to him: ‘If I find in Sodom fifty just within the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.’

"And Abraham answered, and said: ‘Seeing I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes. What if there be five less than fifty just persons? Wilt Thou for five and forty destroy the whole city?’ And the Lord said: ‘I will not destroy it, if I find five and forty.’

"And again Abraham said to Him: ‘But if forty be found there, what wilt Thou do?’ The Lord said: ‘I will not destroy it for the sake of forty.’ ‘ Lord!’ saith Abraham, ‘Be not angry, I beseech Thee, if I speak! What if thirty shall be found there?’ The Lord answered: ‘I will not do it, if I find thirty there.’

" 'Seeing,’ saith Abraham, ‘I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord. What if twenty be found there?’ The Lord said: ‘I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.’ ‘I beseech thee,’ saith Abraham, ‘be not angry, Lord, if I speak yet once more!What if ten should be found there?’ And the Lord said: ‘I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.’  And the Lord departed after He had left speaking to Abraham: and Abraham returned to his place.” (Genesis 18:17-33). As we know, those ten could not be found and God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, while Abraham and his people escaped.

THE TEN TIMES THE ISRAELITES TEMPT GOD IN THE DESERT
“And the Lord said to Moses: ‘How long will this people detract me? How long will they not believe me for all the signs that I have wrought before them? I will strike them therefore with pestilence, and will consume them: but thee I will make a ruler over a great nation!’ And Moses said to the Lord: ‘The Egyptians, once they hear that Thou hast killed so great a multitude, will say: “He could not bring the people into the land which He had sworn to them, therefore did He kill them in the wilderness!” Forgive, I beseech Thee, the sins of this people!’ And the Lord said: ‘I have forgiven according to thy word. But yet all the men that have seen My majesty, and the signs that I have done in Egypt, and in the wilderness, andhave tempted Me now ten times, and have not obeyed My voice, they shall not see the land which I promised to their fathers, neither shall any one of them that hath detracted me behold it”  (Numbers 14:11-23).

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
“At that time the Lord said to me: ‘Hew thee two tables of stone like the former, and come up to Me into the mount: and thou shalt make an ark of wood, And I will write on the tables the words that were in them, which thou brokest before, and thou shalt put them in the ark.’ And I made an ark of setim wood and when I had hewn two tables of stone like the former, I went up into the mount, having them in my hands. And He wrote in the tables, according as He had written before, the ten words, and He gave them to me. And returning from the mount, I came down, and put the tables into the ark, that I had made, and they are there till this present, as the Lord commanded me”(Numbers 14:11-23). (Deuternonomy 10:1-5).

"And the Lord said to Moses: Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written: that thou mayst teach them. Moses rose up, and his minister Josue: and Moses going up into the mount of God, said to the ancients: Wait ye here till we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you: if any question shall arise, you shall refer it to them.And when Moses was gone up, a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord dwelt upon Sinai, covering it with a cloud six days: and the seventh day he called him out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a burning fire upon the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses, entering into the midst of the cloud, went up into the mountain: and he was there forty days, and forty nights" (Exodus 24:12-18).

"If thou wilt hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and do what is right before him, and obey his commandments, and keep all his precepts, none of the evils that I laid upon Egypt, will I bring upon thee: for I am the Lord thy healer" (Exodus 15:26).

“And now, O Israel, hear the commandments and judgments which I teach thee: that doing them, thou mayst live, and entering in mayst possess the land which the Lord the God of your fathers will give you” (Deuteronomy 4:1),

“Keep my commandments, and do them. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 22:31). “If you walk in my precepts, and keep my commandments, and do them, I will give you rain in due seasons” (Leviticus 26:3).

The keeping of the Commandments is what proves our love of God, even though it is only the beginner's level of love: “For this is the charity of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not heavy” (1 John 5:3). “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). “Why call you me, Lord, Lord; and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). “You honor Me with your lips, but your heart is far from Me” (Matthew 15:8). “If any one love Me, he will keep My word” (John 14:23). “This is charity, that we walk according to His commandments” (2 John 1:6). “Now the end of the commandment is charity, from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).

THE NUMBER TEN AS SEEN IN THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE
“And thou shalt make the tabernacle in this manner: Thou shalt make ten curtains of fine twisted linen, and violet and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, diversified with embroidery” (Exodus 26:1).

“In the breadth of the court, that looketh to the west, there shall be ten pillars, and as many sockets” (Exodus 27:12).

“And Solomon set up the two pillars in the porch of the temple … He made also a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round all about … And a graven work under the brim of it compassed it, for ten cubits … And he made ten bases of brass … After this manner he made ten bases … He made also ten lavers of brass … and upon every base, in all ten, he put as many lavers. And he set the ten bases, five on the right side of the temple, and five on the left … And the ten bases, and the ten lavers on the bases ... and all the vessels that Hiram made for king Solomon for the house of the Lord, were of fine brass” (3 Kings 7:21-35).

THE TEN LEPERS THAT JESUS CURED
“And it came to pass, as He was going to Jerusalem, He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain town, there met Him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off; and lifted up their voice, saying: ‘Jesus, master, have mercy on us!’ Whom when He saw, He said: ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests!’ And it came to pass, as they went, they were made clean. And one of them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God. And he fell on his face before His feet, giving thanks: and this was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering, said, ‘Were not ten made clean? and where are the nine? There is no one found to return and give glory to God, but this stranger!’ And He said to him: ‘Arise, go thy way; for thy faith hath made thee whole!’ ” (Luke 17:11-19).

Similarly, we receive much from God! How much? If we were to just stop and properly asses what we receive, we would be embarrassingly surprised and shocked. It is just that we don't value or take for granted many of the blessings that God gives us. There is a lot of wisdom in that saying: "Count your blessings!" If we would just take the time to that, I don;t think we would ever stop counting!

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS, FIVE WISE AND FIVE FOOLISH
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. And five of them were foolish, and five wise. But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. Now whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut” (Matthew 25:1-10).

THE TEN LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL
Around 926 B.C., the kingdom of Israel split in two. Up to that point, all twelve tribes of Israel (plus the priestly tribe of Levi) had been united under the monarchies of Saul, David, and Solomon. But when Solomon’s son Rehoboam ascended to the throne, the ten Northern tribes rebelled and seceded from the union. This left only two tribes—Judah and Benjamin (plus much of Levi)—under the control of the king in Jerusalem. From that time on, the tribes were divided into two nations, which came to be called the House of Israel (the Northern ten tribes) and the House of Judah (the Southern two tribes).

This situation continued until around 723 B.C., when the Assyrians conquered the Northern kingdom. To keep conquered nations in subjection, it was Assyrian policy to break them up by deporting their native populations to other areas and resettling the land with newcomers. When the House of Israel was conquered, most people belonging to the ten Northern tribes were deported and settled elsewhere in the Assyrian kingdom, including places near Nineveh, Haran, and on what is now the Iran-Iraq border. They were replaced by settlers from locations in or near Babylon and Syria.

These settlers intermarried, together with the remaining Israelites, and became the Samaritans mentioned in the New Testament (a few hundred of whom still survive today). The Israelites who had been deported also intermarried with the peoples of the places where they had been resettled. They eventually lost their distinct identity, disappeared, and their culture was lost to history. Some refer to them as "the lost tribes of Israel."