On December
6 of each year in the midst of our Advent celebrations, we celebrate the feast
day of St. Nicholas, a bishop from what is now a region on modern-day Turkey,
and from whom the tradition of Santa Claus in the modern Christian world is at
least partially derived. Most of us
probably picture St Nick as a benevolent & generous gift-giver, but what we
know about the historical St. Nicholas is a bit different. He was a very passionate defender of the
faith who is said to have knocked down the heretic Arius with a physical blow
during the Council of Nicaea in the fourth century. He staunchly defended the poor and the
powerless, preventing an imperial servant from carrying out the sentence of
capital punishment on three poor immigrants.
He also intervened with the Roman Emperor Constantine, demanding justice
for the poor of the city of Myra, who were oppressed by the burden of unjustly
high taxes. Many stories were passed
down about Nicholas, with his legend and reputation for helping other inspiring
the gift giving and generosity of the Christmas season. Perhaps the facts we
know about Nicholas makes him more of an Advent figure than our image of him as
kind and gentle. May the spirit and example of St Nicholas inspire us this
Advent season.
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