Psalm 1│Isaiah61.1-3│1 Timothy 6.6-11│Mark10.13-16
Psaumes 1 |Ésaïe 61.1-3 |1 Timothée 6.6-11|Marc 10.13-16
We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing
out
On
this day, we think of St Nicholas. Who was this saint, historically?
‘Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop of Myra in Asia Minor (southern Turkey). His reputation as a worker of wonders was enhanced by a ninth-century author of his hagiography and he is now best known through these stories. Many of them concern his love and care for children, how he fed the hungry, healed the sick and cared for the oppressed. He saved three girls from a life of prostitution by providing them with dowries and so developed the tradition of bearing gifts to children on his feast day, a practice appropriated by the Christmas celebrations’. (excitingholiness.org).
How
did St Nicholas become Santa Claus, with a wife and many elves, living near the
North Pole, producing presents and flying a sleigh with seven reindeer,
delivering presents through chimneys everywhere? His feast day had already been
observed for centuries, when a group of Dutch immigrants were seen to be
celebrating Sinterclaas Day in New York. The feast attracted others, resulting
in various stories, poems, films -- and commercial interests (such as Macy's in
New York since 1924). (see history.com)
It
is good to remember that St Nicholas became so beloved because he gave away all
his inherited wealth and travelled the countryside helping the poor and the
sick. He was ‘poor, yet making many rich’ (2 Corinthians 6.10). In our
distorted way, many of us are doing the same thing today. We make ourselves
poor by buying splendid Christmas presents on behalf of Santa Claus, making our
children and others ‘rich’, with often quite unwanted or exaggerated presents
that find their way into charity shops or eBay soon after Christmas. And those
who cannot provide the expected presents, feel deep shame. Should we not
rethink the way we pay tribute to this rightly beloved (but in reality
forgotten) saint?
Our
reading in the first letter of Paul to Timothy warns against the love of money.
St Nicholas was by far not the only saint to give away his wealth to help the
poor. Let us remember him as we approach Christmas -- this is the hardest time
of year for our neediest neighbours.
Isabelle Prondzynski
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