December Drinking Companion

I thought it would be great to write about jolly ol’ St. Nicholas. To begin, Santa Claus was a real person, but like so many things in what we call the world, we water these people down to myths that aren’t as true as their original myth. It’s important to note, a myth is a traditional story from a certain point in history. Sometimes these myths are true, false or simply embellished. It’s always important to cross reference all of these stories for consistent seeds of truth and facts.

The book of Genesis is considered a myth, not to digress too much. It’s often misunderstood as literal, however we know it wasn’t literal since it wasn’t written at the literal beginning of time. It however captures the truth of what happened, we know this through science. The big bang theory for example teaches us there was darkness, and at one point in time, there was light and everything came into creation. Ironically this theory was founded by a Catholic priest. Coincidentally, Genesis has been saying pretty much the same thing for thousands of years. Something to discern.

Some of the more well known myths in this field are St. Valentine, St. Patrick, All Hallows/Holy’s Eve, which we now reference as a Halloween. What are meant to be days of remembrance for those who can inspire us to be better by their lives (saints), we’ve turned them into holidays that serve our personal desires (give me chocolate/roses for St. Valentine, alcohol for St. Patrick, and candy and goblins for All Hallows/Holy eve, ironically what is considered Reformation day too). This is the regular tension of the world vs God’s will. The world says love is something that serves your needs, God’s love and will serves the needs of others.

St. Nicholas of Myra was a great teacher of this sacrificial love. As a Catholic Christian bishop, during a time when there was only one Christian faith and Church, Nicholas made one of his greatest contributions to history. It’s actually a bit comical. At the Council of Nicea, which was called by the Emperor Constantine to settle disputes in the Church and unite the Roman Empire, St. Nicholas punched the Arian bishop Arius in the face, because he promoted a thought that Jesus was not true God and true man. This is a ideology that Islam eventually spawned from. It’s believed the priest that affirmed Mohammad’s revelation, was one of these priest. This would seem like a far cry of the jolly St. Nicholas we all know in the modern society drinking Coca-Cola and granting gifts at the mall like a magic genie.

However Nicholas’ greatest attributes are his giving. He was left an inheritance which he distributed among the poor, especially for women who were at risk of slavery. Nicholas was known for tossing the gold coins necessary for dowries, for 3 women, through the window. If not for his generosity, the women would’ve have fallen into a life of destitute. St. Nicholas is patron of children, and is believed to have lived in a crypt where the nativity of Jesus is believed to have taken place. Thus why we often see an image of Santa Claus with the baby Jesus. He is also known as St. Nicholas of Bari, since the majority of his relics have been transferred to a cathedral in this town.

There’s many folklore’s especially “The Night Before Christmas”, which was made to instill better virtue into the NYC society that had great debauchery at the time, and this thought of Santa (meaning holy) would inspire others away from their behaviors. Sinterklaas is also another derivative of St. Nicholas and beloved tradition in Europe. Like all things, we should look at the origin stories and cross them with the evolution that happens very often in society. Most of all we should seek the good, which should always overcome our skepticism that looks to divide us from the intended good of all these companions. Below is a video of how St. Nicholas inspired me to share a little joy with the people of Charlotte, N.C. in 2014 if I remember correctly.

A little backstory. A man had expressed interest in catching some God moments on film. He expressed this to a woman who met me through a retreat for Lent. She mentioned he should talk to me, and so we agreed I would put on my Santa costume, walk around Charlotte handing out my holy cards, which I randomly put in envelopes like gifts to see what would happen. We had lots of fun moments, but for me personally, I came across a man toward the end of the video who I recognized. He was an employee I fired 6 years earlier due to problematic behavior, despite being a good employee. This man was now homeless. We only exchanged a few words, and I crossed paths with him once more after that day, but he is forever in my thoughts and prayers, more now than previous. What happened to him I don’t know, but I always trust a greater good prevails in all of these moments.