A great gift was given to our family this Christmas by a heavenly benefactor known for his extreme generosity and timely interventions. On St. Nicholas Day in December, we found this gift in one of the stockings meant for mama, papa and the three youngest homeschoolers. We are now enjoying this gift: four nights and three days in the Sunshine State of Florida!
Why is it that on a feast day the whole of nature mysteriously smiles?
Akathist Glory to God for all Things.
Every year on December 19th, I celebrate St. Nicholas day with my parish. On St. Nicholas Eve my brothers and I make a line that we can’t pass till the morning so that we can experience the feast together. Then once we wake up, we would run downstairs to the presents. Now, once you get downstairs, it feels so magical seeing all the presents under the Christmas tree. Even if it wasn’t St. Nicholas who put them there, it still feels so magical, and we all have proof that there was a saint whose name was Nicholas who gave presents to little children.
Continue reading December 6/19, St. Nicholas
Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker
Whose Relics Lie Principally in Bari, Italy
And Whose Legendary Brother Santa Claus Lives in the North Pole
I was asked to play Santa Claus today for our Parish School but not the legendary one that poses for pictures at shopping malls and lives at the North Pole. I was asked to play the real one that lived and reposed in the 4th century, worked and continues to work wonders, and is loved the world over as Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia. Trying to live like a Saint is hard enough; imagine trying to play one live. The task was daunting but there is a way to study for the part.
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December 6/19, St. Nicholas
Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker
Whose Relics Lie Principally in Bari, Italy
And Whose Legendary Brother Santa Claus Lives in the North Pole
It was unthinkable. Several years ago, we were celebrating the annual feast of St. Nicholas, and our priest confessed that there was not a single person in our parish whom we could wish a happy name’s day. My wife, who was pregnant at the time, turned to me and we decided then and there to start a trend that is all too common in other Orthodox and Eastern European Churches. Now, including my son, there are at least two boys named Nicholas in our parish. We are now more like the Greek family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding with every other person named Nick, Nikko, Nikki, or Nikolaki.
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Like Mendicant Monks... 