Merry fifth day of Christmas

OK, so the best I could come up with today was a picture of five gold rings.  Still, it's great being Catholic for many reasons.  One is the realization that you are really the counter-cultural rebel.  While most of the world is back to normal, excepting that frenzy of parties and drunkenness and little smokies in barbecue sauce come New Years.  Politics is dominating the news.  Business is seeking new ways to cash in on cash strapped consumers.  Wall Street executives are filling their wallets with the money saved from slashing jobs, salaries, benefits, and exploiting third world workers.  All is getting back to normal.

But we Catholics buck the trend.  Not in the tired, predictable, stale, and boring 'rebellion' one sees on MTV, Bill Maher, or the latest 'dress like a slab of beef' pop star.  Snooze.  How dull and brain melt is that.  Really, does anyone see any of that and come away in shock?  But now, we followers of the historic Faith, we know that the Twelve Days of Christmas are more than a song about merrymakers and assorted fowl.  It's how the Church has done the holidays for centuries.  And it helps us keep the Spirit of the season alive when the spirit of this world has already resumed control of affairs in so many ways.  So Merry Fifth Day of Christmas!  May those five gold rings symbolize more than gold, and be a reminder of just how rich and deep is the Catholic tradition that is available to all!

Obligatory Fifth Day of Christmas image