THE SPIRIT OF SAINT NICHOLAS and CHRISTMAS

THE SPIRIT OF SAINT NICHOLAS and CHRISTMAS

Fr Luke A Veronis

In our Saints Constantine and Helen Church today, we celebrate our Saint Nicholas Sunday which honors one of the most beloved saints in the entire Christian world—Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra. Yet we also live in a culture that knows him by another name: Santa Claus, Sinter Klaus, Father Christmas. And while the world around us has taken this figure and wrapped him in commercialism, glitter, and shopping lists, there is still something deeply beautiful, deeply Orthodox, hidden inside the popular image of Santa Claus.

Many people say, “Christmas has lost its meaning.” And in many ways, that is true. The American commercial Christmas has changed the story and obscured the miracle. Yet, even within that secular picture there remain certain echoes of the original truth - holy traces of what Christmas is really about.

Think for a moment about what people associate with Santa Claus and Christmas:

• A spirit of joy and wonder
• A spirit of generosity
• A spirit of good will toward all
• A spirit of love and hospitality
• A spirit of faith, the belief that goodness is real and possible

These are not inventions of modern culture. These are faint reflections, distorted yet recognizably rooted in two things: 1) The actual, miraculous event of Christmas. How God Himself entered the world, the Word becoming flesh, and Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem. 2) The life and witness of Saint Nicholas, whose holiness became the seed of the Santa Claus tradition.

What is Christmas? It is nothing less than the moment when the Infinite God becomes a tiny child; when Heaven enters the world; when the Creator steps into His own creation in order to save us. Christmas is the season of:

• Good news of great joy—“for unto you is born this day a Savior.”
• God’s astonishing generosity, giving us His only-begotten Son.
• God’s good will toward all humanity and His desire that every single person be saved.
• God’s limitless love, entering our brokenness so that He may heal us from within.

If there is joy, generosity, wonder, or love at Christmas, they come from God Himself, who pours these gifts into the world through the birth of His Son.

As for Saint Nicholas, he is a living icon of these Christmas virtues. Not the cartoon character, not a jolly red-suited mascot that lives in the North Pole and hangs out with elves, but a real bishop, a true shepherd, a faithful follower and witness of Christ.

He is loved not because of myths but because he lived the Gospel fearlessly and tenderly.

• Saint Nicholas was imprisoned for Christ, suffering during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian.
• Saint Nicholas stood up for the truth of the faith, defending the divinity of Christ at the First Ecumenical Council
• Saint Nicholas lived a life wholly dedicated to God as a bishop whose heart belonged to Christ alone.
• Saint Nicholas generously shared the blessings of God with others, especially those in need.
• Saint Nicholas noticed the poor, the marginalized, the forgotten, not with pity but with kindness and joy and love.
• Saint Nicholas defended the innocent, intervening for those unjustly imprisoned or persecuted.
• Saint Nicholas always gave generously and quietly, protecting the dignity of others. He never drew attention to himself but did all things solely for the glory of God.

This is how saints shine. This is how holiness becomes contagious. This is how the life of a 4th-century bishop becomes, over centuries, the inspiration for stories of a generous gift-giver who cares about children, the poor, and the forgotten.

How can we recover the true Saint Nicholas in the imagination of the world? Imagine what would happen if we reclaimed the true meaning of what Saint Nicholas stood for. Instead of a Christmas built on shopping, noise, and stress, we would see Christmas as a season for JOY rooted in Christ, for GENEROSITY shaped by sacrifice, GOOD WILL grounded in God’s love for all, HOSPITALITY the welcomes any and every stranger and foreigner and immigrant and refugee, and a FAITH that sees the world through the eyes of God.

Saint Nicholas shows us what Christmas looks like when a Christian takes the Gospel seriously. He reminds us that Christmas is not about receiving gifts but generously giving gifts to other and ultimately becoming a gift offered to God Himself. He reminds us that holiness is not brash and loud but a humble, quiet, often hidden life. He reminds us that one life dedicated to Christ can transform not only a town or a church, but the imagination of the whole world.

So, here’s our Christmas challenge. Let us honor this remarkable saint and prepare for the birth of our Lord not by simply telling his story but by imitating his life. Let us notice the poor that are all around us, quietly and generously share our blessings with others, defend the marginalized and lift them up, stand up for the eternal truth of God with courage and humility, and live this season of Christmas with joy and wonder because we understand that God is with us.

May Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker intercede for us that we too may become living icons of the love of Jesus Christ.