St. Nicholas of Myra Saves Three Innocents From Death (Ilya Repin) |
Hang out your stockings: tomorrow, December 6th, is the
feast day of St. Nicholas of Myra.
Over the last couple of centuries the modern Santa Claus has somehow developed from the figure of this 4th century bishop, but the real
Saint has retained a strong devotion in both the Eastern and Western churches. I say the “real Saint” with the proviso that
he is another one of those Saints about whom little is known with historical
certainty; as the biography at Catholic Online [here] tells us, “his episcopate at
Myra during the fourth century is really all that seems indubitably
authentic.” Nonetheless, I think it’s
reasonable to assume that what has come down to us has some basis, at least, in
his life and in the sort of person he was.
The most well-known story today concerns
his generosity. Having inherited great
wealth from his parents, he decided, while still a young man, to give his money
to the poor. He famously rescued three
poverty-stricken young women from being sold into prostitution by secretly
throwing bags of money in through their windows. This incident is the
inspiration for the tradition of leaving gifts in shoes or stockings on St.
Nicholas Day. He is also known as an
exemplar of mercy, which fits nicely with generosity (and with the image of
Santa Claus). The best-known story about
him in the first millennium tells how he appeared in a dream to the Emperor
Constantine on behalf of three men who had been imprisoned unjustly; having
learned that the official who was holding the men had a similar dream, and that
the men had been praying for Nicholas’s help, the Emperor set them free.
St. Nicholas (R) has a theological discussion with Arius (L) |
Another old story about St. Nicholas, one
which has recently enjoyed new popularity, tells of him attending the Council
of Nicaea in 325 where, in a fit of anger, he slapped Arius, for whom the Arian
Heresy is named. This story has an
irresistible appeal for many Catholics involved in apologetics, particularly
when cast as a humorous contrast to affable image of Santa Claus (the Saint’s slap
is often upgraded in these accounts to a more manly punch). One can find numerous reproductions online,
for instance, of ancient frescoes depicting the incident with captions like “I
came to give kids presents and punch heretics . . . and I just ran out of
presents!” I have to admit, I have
chuckled at some of these myself. At the
same time, it would seem that smacking Arius, heresiarch though he was, falls a
little short of the Christian Charity test; the council fathers thought
so, at least: we are told that they “deprived [Nicholas] of his episcopal insignia
and committed him to prison”. We are also told that Jesus frees him from prison
and restores him to his bishopric, so we can take that as confirmation that,
despite his impulsiveness, his heart was in the right place. In any case, the
incident illustrates another important aspect of the Saint: a man who was
fiercely dedicated to preserving and defending the Truth.
There may seem to be an incongruity
between the Jolly Old Saint Nick who comes to the aid of poor maidens and
innocent prisoners on the one hand, and the righteous crusader who puts a
whuppin’ on heretics on the other, but that’s not the case. The salvation that Jesus lived, suffered and
died to bring us is salvation from sin, not from physical hardships. What could be more generous or merciful than
saving a brother from sin, or even more so, preventing him from leading others
into it [see here]? Granted, we are called to do so with love (Ephesians
4:15), so I wouldn’t recommend emulating St. Nicholas’s smackdown of
Arius. Nonetheless, St. Nicholas
embodies an important truth: that Generosity and Mercy are not opposed to
Justice and Truth, but are, indeed must be, different sides of the same coin,
as Scripture attests:
Show us thy
steadfast love, O LORD,
and grant us thy salvation.
Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky. (Psalm 85:7-11)
and grant us thy salvation.
Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky. (Psalm 85:7-11)
That’s not a bad thing to reflect on
this weekend as we celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas: Bishop, Lover, and
Fighter.
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