And The Third Day of Christmas

On the Third Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Three French Hens. Faith, hope and love, heavenly gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Today is more than just the Third Day of Christmas. That is not to make light of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Many of the gifts we receive throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas come to us through the Holy Spirit. Each of these gifts, when accepted and acted upon, pave the way to salvation.

In the Western Church, the Roman Catholic Church, today is also the feast day of Saint John the Apostle. Christ often referred to John and his older brother, James, as “sons of thunder”. It was a term used to express affection and to shed light on their robust personalities. Perhaps they followed Christ with a great deal of zeal. Or perhaps it was in reference to their request that Jesus call down fire from heaven to punish any Samaritan town that had not accepted the Word of God.

John was part of Christ’s inner circle. Tradition holds that John is the author of the Three Letters of John, the forth Gospel writer and possibly the one who penned Revelations. John is unique among the male followers of Christ. He was the only one who stayed with the woman to witness the crucifixion first hand. We know that John was probably the youngest of the twelve, which might explain why he remained with the women when the men went into hiding. We might never know why he stayed behind. What we do know is that Jesus so loved John that he entrusted the care of His mother to him. This also tells us that Jesus was the only son of Mary. Had Christ been the first born in a line of male heirs, the duties of caring for Mary after Joseph died would have fallen to Jesus first, then to his younger brothers at his passing. Since He instructed John to care for Mary, it’s obvious there were no others after Him. This particular belief is uniquely Catholic, based on Jewish customs of the time. Catholics believe that Biblical references to siblings are to Joseph’s children from a prior marriage. All this is a topic for another day. Today is all about the Third Day of Christmas.

On this, the Third Day of Christmas, and the feast day of John, the Apostle, let us celebrate with a dish that is oh so satisfying. It’s a Mock Swedish Meatball dish because, dispite what many Americans thought in the 1960s, Swedish Meatballs are not made with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. Regardless, enjoy!

Slow Cooker Mock Swedish Meatballs
1 (10 oz) can Cream of Mushrooms Soup
1-3/4 cups Beef Stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 envelop Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 (26 oz) bag Frozen Meatballs
16 oz Medium Egg Noodles
1 cup Sour Cream

In the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker, mix mushroom soup, beef stock, Worcestershire Sauce and dry soup mix together. Stir well. Add frozen meatballs. Cook on LOW for 7 hours or HIGH for 3 hours. Stir pot every hour or so if on low, every 30 minutes or so on high to prevent scorching.

When the meatballs are nearly done, prepare egg noodles as directed on the package. Drain noodles and keep warm.

As the final touch, ladle about a cup of liquid from the pot into a mixing bowl. Add sour cream, whisk to dilute cream. Pour back into the pot and let simmer 15 minutes or so to heat through.

Mix noodles and meatballs together, pulling noodles through sauce to coat well. Serve with Asparagus or other desired vegetable and enjoy.

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Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise You, O God,
we acclaim You as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise You.
Alleluia, alleluia.