To many Christians, St. Nicholas, precursor to Santa Claus, is no quaint figure from the past. Especially to Eastern Catholics and the Orthodox, he is one of the most popular saints, interceding on behalf of his people, even today. Due to his miraculous life and the testimony of miracles, St. Nicholas is the patron of children, of travelers, of those seeking husbands, and of many other causes.
Really a Saint
Many legends have cropped up around St. Nicholas that some commentators question whether he really existed. Father Nicholas Palis of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, graciously answers this potentially offensive question about Nicholas’s basis in real life: “You’ve got his relics that give out myrrh in Bari, Italy, and different parts of his relics in other parts of the world! How can you have the relics of the saint and then question whether or not that saint exists?”
Of the few things we can say with historical certainty about this saint of early Christianity is that he indeed lived. He was born in 280 and his see was on the Mediterranean coast, in an area where St. Paul had first brought the gospel a few hundred years earlier. The busy seaport of Myra, in the Asia Minor province of Lycea, is present-day Demre, Turkey. He was such a devoted and holy bishop that, much like Mother Teresa today, the people immediately recognized him as a saint. Thus, the Church kept careful track of his remains after he died in about 342.
In these days before Christmas, we can celebrate the feast of Nicholas as a time to refocus on Jesus. St. Nicholas showed us how to find Jesus in the poor, the oppressed and abused. He was devoted to charity, but charity always linked to justice.
Nicholas teaches us that faithful followers of Jesus defend those who are wrongly accused. Today we can see the face of Jesus not only in political prisoners around the world, but also in anyone who suffers from false accusation. After all, wasn’t Jesus himself executed on false charges?
St. Nicholas shows us how to find Jesus through prayer and religious zeal.
Let’s relish the spirit of joy and charity embodied in Santa’s gift-giving, but let’s not forget the real St. Nicholas, who, like all the saints, points to Jesus. That’s the truest Christmas spirit.
Hello, John!
In Mission of Grace, Sister Fran Gangloff tells the inspiring story of a woman committed to serving on the island of Molokai with those stricken with Hansen’s disease, known then as leprosy, with love, compassion, respect, and grace, often in the face of both hardship and resistance from authorities blind to their needs.
At her canonization in 2012, St. Marianne was called the “beloved mother of outcasts.”
Fran Gangloff, OSF, a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, has been a teacher, principal, journalist, college professor, and organist.
Be inspired by compassion and grace this Christmas!
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