WHAT OUGHT TO BE DONE IN CHRISTMAS PERIOD: AS DONE BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AND SANTA CLAUS

Hello friends! This is a season of celebration and what are we suppose to do during this celebration? All we need to do is to share what we have with the needy as Christ did and also ask a certain rich man who came to JESUS asking how he would be saved and Jesus tells the rich young man to go sell everything he has and give it to the poor. In the Bible, Jesus speaks a lot about taking care of those in need. When we think of great people of faith in the history of the Church, we can think of Saint Nicholas – Santa Claus! Santa Claus’ real name was Saint Nicholas, and he was a Christian bishop who lived in Germany. Saint Nicholas was very wealthy, but he did not keep his money for himself! He gave it away to people who needed it. We can learn a lot from Nicholas’ generosity! Jesus calls us to do the same thing. He tells us to take care of the poor and to not focus on our own material possessions. Is there a better time than Christmas to focus on giving rather than getting? Let’s pray and ask God to fill our hearts with a desire to give this season, and to focus on how we can give and serve instead of focusing on what we want to receive for Christmas.

Saint Nicholas was a famous bishop throughout all of Europe for helping the poor. Churches began to celebrate Saint Nicholas on December 6 and kids all over Europe would set out shoes and stockings the night before Saint Nicholas Day hoping he would visit them. When people began moving to America in the 1600s, they brought their stories and traditions of Saint Nicholas with them! The Dutch settlers called him “Sinter Claase,” which became Santa Claus. Over time, the December 6 celebration of Saint Nicholas and the December 25 celebration of Jesus blended together. Saint Nicholas spent his life serving Jesus, which is what we are called to do as well. Nicholas proclaimed God’s glory. Jesus’ mother Mary did the same thing in the verses we just read. Let’s praise the Lord today and proclaim His glory!