Celebrate St. Nicholas Day!
Qui Locutus - Formerly The CathApol Blog - a Catholic Apologetics Blog Defending the Faith and keeping Catholics Catholic! Scott Windsor, MEd. - aka: CathApol
Santa or St Nick
Often, as we begin the Advent Season today (it's NOT the Christmas Season - yet!) the subject of Santa Claus v. Saint Nicholas comes up. Is Santa a representation of St. Nicholas? Let's take a closer look.
St. Nicholas of Myra was born on March 15, 270 AD and died on December 6, 343 AD. It is on December 6th each year that we honor St. Nicholas with a feast day in memory of him. St. Nicholas was in attendance at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, where the council fathers sought to end the heresy of Arianism defining "homoousios" (Greek for "of one substance") teaching that Jesus Christ was fully divine and fully human.
So where does "Santa" come from? It is actually from a Dutch tradition of "SinterKlaas" and the Dutch are actually referring to St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra! Little is known of the actual life of St. Nicholas, but traditions and legends say he loved children. In the Dutch tradition, SinterKlaas rides through town on a white steed, giving presents to the "good" children and switches to the "bad" children. There are also stories of SinterKlaas going from rooftop to rooftop and dropping presents down the chimney for the children (no word on how he got there though).
The story of Santa's reindeer was unheard of until 1823 when the poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" was penned. Authorship of the poem is a bit disputed, some say it was Clement Clarke Moore, others say it was Henry Livingston, Jr. Regardless, before this poem it is unclear if completely unknown about Santa's reindeer.
The story I told my children, when they were old enough to start questioning Santa Claus, is that Santa was indeed a real person and the legend has it that he gave presents to the good children and switches (or lumps of coal) to the bad children. Santa Claus was originally known as Saint Nicholas, who was indeed the Bishop of Myra (in today's Turkey). The spirit of giving at Christmas is keeping the tradition of St. Nicholas alive and well. So you CAN believe in Santa Claus, but he wasn't (or isn't) the commercialized (largely by the Coca Cola Company in the early 20th century), but he did exist and many stories and legends have come about due to Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. We also celebrated St. Nicholas Day on December 6th by giving them a little present that day too - though the day of the ultimate gift to mankind, celebrated on December 25th, the Christ Mass (Christmas) overshadows St. Nicholas - as it should.
https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/12/131219-santa-claus-origin-history-christmas-facts-st-nicholas/
https://homesteading.com/santas-reindeer-everything-need-know-history-christmas-reindeer/
https://www.cnn.com/2012/12/22/opinion/galloway-reindeer/index.html
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| Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus? |
St. Nicholas of Myra was born on March 15, 270 AD and died on December 6, 343 AD. It is on December 6th each year that we honor St. Nicholas with a feast day in memory of him. St. Nicholas was in attendance at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, where the council fathers sought to end the heresy of Arianism defining "homoousios" (Greek for "of one substance") teaching that Jesus Christ was fully divine and fully human.
So where does "Santa" come from? It is actually from a Dutch tradition of "SinterKlaas" and the Dutch are actually referring to St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra! Little is known of the actual life of St. Nicholas, but traditions and legends say he loved children. In the Dutch tradition, SinterKlaas rides through town on a white steed, giving presents to the "good" children and switches to the "bad" children. There are also stories of SinterKlaas going from rooftop to rooftop and dropping presents down the chimney for the children (no word on how he got there though).
The story of Santa's reindeer was unheard of until 1823 when the poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" was penned. Authorship of the poem is a bit disputed, some say it was Clement Clarke Moore, others say it was Henry Livingston, Jr. Regardless, before this poem it is unclear if completely unknown about Santa's reindeer.
The story I told my children, when they were old enough to start questioning Santa Claus, is that Santa was indeed a real person and the legend has it that he gave presents to the good children and switches (or lumps of coal) to the bad children. Santa Claus was originally known as Saint Nicholas, who was indeed the Bishop of Myra (in today's Turkey). The spirit of giving at Christmas is keeping the tradition of St. Nicholas alive and well. So you CAN believe in Santa Claus, but he wasn't (or isn't) the commercialized (largely by the Coca Cola Company in the early 20th century), but he did exist and many stories and legends have come about due to Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. We also celebrated St. Nicholas Day on December 6th by giving them a little present that day too - though the day of the ultimate gift to mankind, celebrated on December 25th, the Christ Mass (Christmas) overshadows St. Nicholas - as it should.
Links supporting Santa Claus:
https://www.sinterklaashudsonvalley.com/the-story/https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/12/131219-santa-claus-origin-history-christmas-facts-st-nicholas/
And his reindeer:
https://www.ibtimes.com/history-santa-claus-reindeers-rudolph-may-be-most-popular-what-about-dancer-prancer-comet-vixenhttps://homesteading.com/santas-reindeer-everything-need-know-history-christmas-reindeer/
https://www.cnn.com/2012/12/22/opinion/galloway-reindeer/index.html
Link not favoring St. Nick to Santa Claus:
http://suewidemark.com/santaandsue.htmHappy New Year!
With Sunday, December 2nd - the First Day of Advent - we welcome in the New Year - the liturgical new year, that is! Wish your friends a Happy New Year! When they look at you funny, there is your opportunity to share a bit of Jesus Christ and His Church with them.
Disciples not Fans
What the world needs is disciples, not fans of Jesus Christ.
A fan really likes Jesus, supports Jesus even keeps up with going to church and hearing Jesus - but a disciple is committed to Jesus (Guarendi, 2019). Are you committed to Jesus Christ and the Church He founded on The Twelve Apostles - our first bishops? Or, are you a fan - who really likes Jesus Christ, you even go to "a" church every week - but not necessarily one in communion with a bishop in apostolic succession from The Twelve? Maybe you like singing along with Christian singers and even go to a really "happening" worship service - well, all that is great for a "fan" - but there is more to being a disciple.
Why Choose the Catholic Church? Because the System Works!
Choices, the Church says do it this way but we want to do things our way. It is like the car manufacturer saying, "this is your car, it runs on gasoline" but we decide that salt water is cheaper, "I want my car to run on salt water." Going against the advice of the manufacturer is not a good choice! (Richards, 2019). Again, Jesus selected twelve disciples, the Apostles and our first bishops and taught them how He wanted His Church to be run. He told them how to take regular bread and wine, bless them and then declare them to be His body and His blood - not representations of body and blood, He said, "This IS My body" and "This IS My blood." And then He commanded them to do as He has done. Recalling what He did was select bishops, so they were to select bishops to come after them and spread His Church throughout the whole world. THESE were the instructions from the Manufacturer of the world - and each of us! So, is it wise to go and follow someone or some teaching which is not in communion with one of these bishops? Or worse, separated in protest (where we get the word "Protestant" from) from those bishops?
If you are seeking to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, do not stop with the humanistic pleasures found in many places of worship - but continue seeking until you find THE Church which Jesus Christ founded upon Twelve Chosen Ones - who did as He commanded, and continued to build the Church which Jesus Himself started.
References
Guarendi, Dr. R. (2019). Living Right with Dr. Ray. EWTN. Aired September 24, 2019.
Richards, Fr. L. (2019). Living Right with Dr. Ray. EWTN. Aired September 24, 2019.
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Roman Catholic Man - We Need an Elijah Movement
My wife pointed me to this site today... thought I would share:
https://www.romancatholicman.com/america-needs-an-elijah-movement/
In today’s Gospel, Jesus “gets our attention” by proclaiming: “If
anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my
disciple.” In another part of the Gospel, Jesus said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” And in John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Unless you eat my body and drink my blood, there is no life in you.” John’s Gospel goes on to say, “After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him.” That “walked no more with him” line comes at John 6:66 … 666 … interesting.
The point is that Jesus cannot be accused of watering down the message, of “casting a wide net” of “softened language” for fear of “triggering” anybody that might leave. No, it is clear Jesus is recruiting only “cross carrying,” strong and courageous souls to join ranks with Him.
The miscalculation of so many is that a mushy, weak religion will be more accessible to more souls but, in reality, the opposite is true. Souls are looking for strength … a real supernatural power that is capable of freeing them from depression and addiction, and any other power that has consumed them, up until now.
Jesus modeled speaking with strength, so I will try to follow that model here, as I do my best, as a Shepherd, to warn of the present dangers, and map out the way to verdant pastures.
To continue reading:
https://www.romancatholicman.com/america-needs-an-elijah-movement/
https://www.romancatholicman.com/america-needs-an-elijah-movement/
The point is that Jesus cannot be accused of watering down the message, of “casting a wide net” of “softened language” for fear of “triggering” anybody that might leave. No, it is clear Jesus is recruiting only “cross carrying,” strong and courageous souls to join ranks with Him.
The miscalculation of so many is that a mushy, weak religion will be more accessible to more souls but, in reality, the opposite is true. Souls are looking for strength … a real supernatural power that is capable of freeing them from depression and addiction, and any other power that has consumed them, up until now.
Jesus modeled speaking with strength, so I will try to follow that model here, as I do my best, as a Shepherd, to warn of the present dangers, and map out the way to verdant pastures.
To continue reading:
https://www.romancatholicman.com/america-needs-an-elijah-movement/
Sports Is Not the End-All
When I opened my browser today a news story popped up asking "Whatever happened to Villanova basketball star Shelly Pennefather? Subtitle: "So I made this deal with God." The author of the article, Elizabeth Merrill ponders, "But I cannot grasp what Pennefather -- now Sister Rose Marie -- has chosen to do." Ms. Merrill, Sr. Rose Marie has chosen something bigger - there is really no comparison! She would have been a flash in the pan for a few years, providing she didn't get hurt, and then what? She chose to store up her treasures in Heaven than to have temporal riches here on Earth. For what does it profit for one to gain the whole world and lose their soul? (Mark 8:36).
https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/27297631/happened-villanova-basketball-star-shelly-pennefather-made-deal-god
https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/27297631/happened-villanova-basketball-star-shelly-pennefather-made-deal-god
What Happened to Our Sunday Best?
It wasn't that long ago that when you were going to somewhere special you made sure you dressed in your "Sunday best" so as to not be an embarrassment to yourself or your family. For women, they wore dresses (below the knee) and covered their heads, even in Protestant churches - women typically wore a nice hat. Men would wear a suit and tie. What does "your Sunday best
mean today? Often at Mass one will see people in t-shirts, sports jerseys, jeans or shorts and women, if they wear a dress at all (as opposed to pants) it is often a short skirt. In traditional chapels (of the Extraordinary Rite) the dress tends to be more conservative, but even there most men are not wearing suits (though many are).
What's the point here? If you were called to dine at the White House, would you show up in a t-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes? I think not! In fact, you likely would not even be allowed to enter if not in proper attire for the dinner. When we attend Mass we are in the presence - the Real Presence - of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - the King of Kings! Should we not be appropriately dressed to be in His Presence? Some may grumble at this and think me a "fuddy-dutty" but I am reminded of one of Jesus' parables of the Wedding Feast,
and the one who showed up without a wedding garment (Matthew 22:1-14), that man was bound and thrown out into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Those same grumblers will then be saying, "you're not to take that passage so literally!" But should we not exemplify the importance of being properly attired when we are at the Eucharistic Feast? Are we being respectful of our Lord when we show up in purely casual dress?
What are your thoughts?
mean today? Often at Mass one will see people in t-shirts, sports jerseys, jeans or shorts and women, if they wear a dress at all (as opposed to pants) it is often a short skirt. In traditional chapels (of the Extraordinary Rite) the dress tends to be more conservative, but even there most men are not wearing suits (though many are).
What are your thoughts?
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