“On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree.” (“The Twelve Days Of Christmas”). We often refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God. This is because, under the law of Moses, a male lamb without blemish was one of the sacrifices that could be made to atone for sins. But lambs were not the only type of sacrifice that was set forth. It was also acceptable to sacrifice two turtledoves. In fact, when the baby Jesus was presented before the temple, Joseph and Mary sacrificed two turtledoves. If an unblemished lamb with its pure white wool was offered up as a symbol of Christ's innocence and purity, then what might the two turtledoves symbolize? In general throughout the world, turtledoves have been symbols of trust, fidelity, and devoted love. This makes turtledoves the perfect symbol for Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us. Jesus Christ suffered for our sins and died upon the cross because He loved us. It is the love of God the Father and Jesus Christ that reverberates through every particle of the universe and is the power and the foundation by which everything is or ever has or ever will exist. I also think it's really important that there are two turtledoves. For the Atonement to have its full effect in our lives, it can't just be Jesus up there by Himself on that altar. Just as Jesus lost His life for our sakes, we must be willing to lose our lives for His sake. As the Lamb, Jesus willingly took upon Himself the pains of every living creature, alone and unaided. But as the Turtledove, who is giving up everything because He loves the other Turtledove, Jesus hopes that our love for Him will strive to match His for us, that we will be brave enough to leap onto the altar with Him, so that we can kill inside of us everything that is resentful or bitter or ashamed or unclean or prideful. If we will do this for the love that we feel for that other Turtledove, then we will both rise from the ashes of the altar not as Turtledoves, but as Phoenixes reborn and resurrected. Turtledoves pair bond for life. I hope that we will not leave our other Turtledove alone on that altar. I do know that if we refuse to be separated even in death, then we will be blessed with the opportunity to be never cut off from our Savior ever again. When we take the Sacrament, we are promised that if we do our part, Christ will always be with us and we will always be two turtledoves together.
