Today December 6th is the Feast of Saint Nicholas
‘Alas! How dreary would be the world if there was no Santa Claus! There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.’ ~Francis Church, New York Sun, 1897
There is a lovely story about a girl who wanted to write a letter to Santa Claus. “Of course dear,” said her mother, “You want to tell him what you would like for Christmas then?” Her daughter shook her head, “I just want to tell him I love him,” she simply replied.
Today is the feast of St.Nicholas. He came from a wealthy family and decided to give all his money to the poor. He always did so quietly and without fuss. He would drop some gold coins down the chimney of those who were really poor. People wondered who the generous donor was.
One day someone found out it was Nicholas. His name and fame began to spread to many countries and so Santa Claus as we know him today came into being. We give gifts at Christmas because we know deep within that it’s good to express our love for those who are special and important to us. Thanks to Nicholas, Santa is alive and well. Our world would be such a darker place without his inspiring presence.
Thought For The Week
“The wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion cub feed together with a little boy to lead them. The cow and the bear make friends, their young lie down together.” ~Isaiah 11:4-6
The film ‘Cast Away’ featuring Tom Hanks was very popular. There is a similar story told about the only survivor of a shipwreck who got washed up on a small uninhabited island. He prayed constantly to God to rescue him and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed to be coming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements and to store his few possessions.
But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames and the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened and everything was lost. He was stung with grief and anger. “God how could you do this to me”, he cried.
Exhausted with his anger he fell asleep on the beach, only to be awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” asked the weary man of his rescuers. “We saw your smoke signal.” they replied
There is a message here for all of us too on our journey through Advent and as we count down the days to Christmas. It is easy to get discouraged when things are not going well. The message of Advent is to never lose hope. Isaiah who wrote just over 2,700 years ago, still had the same problems that we have today. He sensed and felt the unease of people, who were tired, without hope and had given up. He wrote some beautiful scripture pieces to remind them of the presence of light, hope and new beginnings. These came to be with the arrival of Jesus at Christmas. For Isaiah he believed that the impossible can become possible.
The message of Advent is to know that God is with us, that there is light to be found in our dark world, that there is hope even when all seems lost and that our lives do have purpose and meaning.
The Thought For The Week is updated each Monday
