The Bishop who became Santa Claus

from Bishop Farrell's blog, Bishop of Dallas, TX

In many parts of the world Christmas celebrations begin with the feast of St. Nicholas on December 6, when children place their shoes on window sills the evening before in hopes of finding coins in them the next morning. Our custom of Christmas stockings probably dates to the shoes put out on St. Nicholas Eve in hopes of a visit from the saintly bishop.

In parts of Europe St. Nicholas is still the bringer of Christmas gifts, but in our country and others he has evolved into Father Christmas or Santa Claus but the name Santa Claus is really a derivation of St. Nicholas.

How did a Greek bishop from the third century become Santa Claus? It all began in the city of Myra, a seaport on the southern coast of Anatolia, which is now Turkey. Bishop Nicholas was from a wealthy family and was famous for his anonymous gifts of gold coins to poor people in need. The coins were left secretly at night to be found by the surprised recipients in the morning. In addition to his generosity, St. Nicholas is said to have performed many miracles. Among Eastern Christians he is known as St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

St. Nicholas was a very real person. He was among the bishops who participated in the Council of Nicea, the first Ecumenical Council. He also was known for his defense of orthodoxy against the heretic Arius who questioned the divinity of Jesus and was condemned at Nicea.

In the eleventh century the saint’s bones were taken from his tomb in Myra and moved to the Italian city of Bari where they remain today. They may not be there long however as the Turkish government last year requested that they be returned to Myra (now called Demre) claiming that they had been taken illegally by crusaders. Demre is a popular place of pilgrimage for Eastern Christians who have great devotion to St. Nicholas.

You may not want to put your shoes out, but a good way to celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day is to imitate him by giving an anonymous gift to someone in need.

Relevance of the Church

From Truth in Love blog...

Recognizing the delicate balancing act required to address this topic, I wish to pull together some thoughts regarding the purpose of the Church, and thus, its relevance for people of all ages, including today.

On a feast day such as today, the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, it is good to give prayerful consideration to the beginnings of the Church in the call of Jesus and the faith of the early followers.  To build upon the faith of the Apostles means to be aware of the call of Jesus in our own life.  It means to be aware of His message, revealing the love of God.  It means being deeply aware of His concern for us, just as He listened to the many needs of those who approached Him in His earthly ministry, and answered all their needs.

Just as the Apostles could not contain their faith, and had to share it with others, so are the People of God to be so filled with the Good News of salvation that it naturally flows over in all of their relationships, through the course of their entire life.

We are aware of numerous polls telling us some basics of the reality of the Church today.  Most polls would say that somewhere around 1/3 of those claiming to be Catholic attend Mass on a weekly basis.  These tend to be the backbone of the Church, serving the Church in its many ministries and roles of leadership.  For this core group of Catholics, we are very grateful.

Another poll I read just today states that people should perhaps spend less time in the Mall, and more time in Church.  (Poll conducted by researchers from Ben-Gurion University in Israel with data collected by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Council.)  The basis for this study was the “happiness” of people.  The primary point being that money cannot bring us happiness. 

Even though the Church does not exist solely to bring us happiness, there is a fundamental truth revealed in this study, though not explicitly stated, that only Jesus Christ can fill the deepest longings of the human heart…thus the relevancy of the Church!

The challenge for us as Church today is to find a way to preach this Truth in our modern culture in a way that “resonates”.  The same poll asked a poignant question:  So if Church goers are more happy than others, why is it that more people do not go to Church?  One answer to this was that “shopping gives a certain immediate gratification”, which the Church attendance does not necessarily provide. 

I would partially agree, and thus propose that we should be somewhat leery of how we assess things today.  To do so merely from the stand point of gratification leaves us prey to the fleeting nature of this world, and keeps our sights far below the reality of faith, and the necessity of having a profound relationship with God.

Perhaps one way we “preach” the message of the Good News today is to ask people to honestly assess their priorities.  Are the things they give their time and attention to truly satisfying?  Perhaps part of the answer is to ask people to take a little more of a “long-term approach” when it comes to matters of faith, when it comes to giving Christ a chance by making Him and His Church a priority.

One thing is certain:  we come into this life with nothing, and we depart this life with nothing.  This alone tells us the fleeting nature of this world.  That does not mean that the world is bad.  Quite the contrary, all that is created by God is good, but this world is fleeting.  This simple starting point then helps us ask the question about what truly remains, to help us determine the best use of our time, energy, and resources in this life. 

To answer the question of what “truly remains”, one need look no further than St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 13:12-13.  At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face.  At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.  So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Surely the Church is about proclaiming the Love of Christ.  Truly, the Church exists to strengthen us in faith and hope.  Surely, the Church, who gathers the people of all ages into the family of God is perhaps more relevant today, than any other time.  There are many people in the world looking for meaning and truth today.  May we help them find the ultimate Truth, Jesus Christ by inviting them to walk with us through this life, in the loving embrace of the Church.

h/t  Bishop Paul D. Etienne, Diocese of Cheyenne, WO

Proclaim Christ

New post from Truth in Love blog...

Sunday, we celebrated Mission Sunday, and I seem to be a bit like a broken record lately.  Once again, the readings spoke so clearly to the Mission of the Church, the mission of every baptized person, to proclaim Christ to the world.  Listen again to the words from St. Paul to the Romans:

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone to preach?  And how can people preach unless they are sent?  (Romans 10: 14-15)

This simple quandary of St. Paul, which is really a great instruction, begins with the need for faith; believing.  Think of those who “preached” Christ to you…family, priests, nuns, parishioners, friends.  Think of how you “learned” your faith, and the people involved in that process.  Faith in Christ is a gift, but a gift once received that carries a great responsibility! 

Most of us do not remember our Baptism, but it is the fundamental moment of entering the Life of Christ.  It is this Life of Christ within us that is sustained by the other sacraments, and by the continual growth in faith.  I am more and more convinced in the primacy this Life of Christ holds for me, for you, and for the Church.  Our challenge is to embrace this priority of and for Christ!  As we were blessed to have others “preach” Christ to us by the teaching we received, and the lives of faith modeled for and around us, so are we to proclaim Christ to others, in word and deed.

The other strong element of my own faith life and prayer these days regards the Promise of Christ to remain with us always, until the end of the age.  (Mt 28:20)  No matter how difficult life gets, or how dark the future may seem at times, Christ is always present; His Light is always shining as a beacon of hope.  This Light always accompanies us. 

 For me, this is a big part of what conversion is all about; learning how to maintain a fixed focus on this Light.  This Light not only give hope, but guides.  The mere focusing on this reality and truth of Light helps to maintain one’s positive outlook.  It is in the difficult moments to remain focused on this Light of Christ that faith and hope grow.  It is through this faith that the power of God works and provides!  More and more I have come to believe that it is the Power of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, that provides, and less and less is it I.

So, proclaim Christ, and allow His Peace, and Light and Truth power you through this life of faith.

 h/t Bishop Paul Entienne, Diocese of Cheyenne, WO

The Call We Have Received

Post from Truth In Love Blog:

This week’s first readings are taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. This is undoubtedly one of my favorites of Paul’s epistles. I chose my own episcopal motto from this epistle: Ephesians 4:15: Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ. We will hear this passage tomorrow morning.

If we had a goal of reading some of St. Paul’s epistles every day, we would have a great reminder of the life that is ours in Jesus Christ, and the power and grace that flow from that relationship. Rooted in that reality, today, St. Paul reminds us to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

The longer I live, the more deeply aware I am that my entire life is a gift from God through Jesus Christ. I grow daily in my gratitude for the magnitude of that gift, and the life of holiness through baptism, priesthood, and now the episcopacy to which I am called. St. Paul earlier in this letter to the Ephesians recalls more of this mystery and beauty:

…be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (3:14-19)

Such is the beauty of the life to which we are called! Live life to the full, my friends! Live life in Christ!

h/t Bishop Paul Entienne, Diocese of Cheyenne, WO