Mark's Midweek Musings & Updates

 

Tomorrow, December 6th is the "Feast day of St. Nicholas".
 
Nicholas was an early saint in life of church from 2nd & 3rd centuries. But we don’t really know much about him; there is a lot of folklore, legends and stories passed down
 
In truth of all saints we recognize in the church he has a wide following to this very day. He has a great impact on many, especially young children, even non churched know of him because of course he’s origin of one we now know of as Santa Claus
 
Very essence of St. Nicholas was his faithfulness in following Christ and that formation of his life and ministry was very much influenced by his Christian teaching. He was also inspired in his desire to serve especially the most vulnerable, the marginalized and those that many would have turned a blind eye to
 
Most famous of his exploits was when Nicholas heard of devout man who had been wealthy but who had lost all his money. He had 3 daughters and couldn't afford a proper dowry for them. That meant they’d remain unmarried and likely, in absence of any other possible employment, be forced to become prostitutes.
 
Nicolas heard of girls' plight and decided he was going to help them, but it needed to be in secret; he didn’t want to be identified. So, he went to the house under cover of night and threw a purse filled with gold coins through window. He did same thing next two nights, giving man three bags of gold, one for each of his three daughters.
 
This may well be a fable. But undoubtedly it is grounded in some truth of the life and ministry of Bishop Nicolas of Myra, a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ . That’s the story we focus on as we remember him on his feast day. He knew within himself the love of God made real through Jesus which overflowed through him. And, he shared it with others who equally needed to hear and experience the love, mercy and grace of God in their own lives.

And out of depth of that love within him, when he saw someone in need, there was no choice, it wasn’t optional. He knew what God called him to do in that moment; he had to respond in way that would help, make some difference, offering care and compassion , truly loving the person as God loved him
 
Isn’t that the kind of faithfulness we all need to exemplify as we live out our baptismal ministries knowing we too are equally loved by God and in turn are called to love others around us, and care for them with compassion and mercy. There is tremendous social pressure stifle cries of human pain & need.
 
Remember phrase that was perhaps overused at the time but waspointed none the less … WWJD … What would Jesus do. It’s pretty obvious what Jesus would do. He wouldn’t be silent and stand by doing and saying nothing; he’d be right in there alongside them; speak truth to power because that’s what it means to love all of God’s people, and care for them and advocate alongside them
 
That was example Nicolas followed … & it's the example we are to follow too. We are to live day to day, in every encounter, in every relationship , in places where we work, go to school and shop for groceries; on the streets & highways as we drive from place to place … our baptismal covenant always needs to be at the heart of who we are and how we live our lives grounding us in ministries we’re called to faithfully following our Lord Jesus Christ … seeking and serving Christ in all persons … loving our neighbor as ourselves … striving for justice and peace among all people … respecting dignity of every human being
 
The image of Santa Claus brings life to a spirit of generosity and giving as we enter this Christmas season. Let's remember that it all began with the spirit of St. Nicholas, a saint in the church, a bishop called by God to serve God and all of God's people. May we remember his example as we strive to be equally generous with the abundance God has blessed us with.