saint nicholas eve
Psalm
145, Verse 19
He
fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves
them.
In this psalm the singer invites all to praise God. The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise; they climax in a confession. God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship, a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity.[1]
I would like to focus on the word desire from verse
19 above. I like to hike and pray. One day I was hiking in the Fay Canyon area
of Sedona, Arizona and I was reflecting on the seven deadly sins and the
opposing virtues of our Lord’s sermon on the mount. As I was hiking and musing
over the words that are associated with the deadly sin of lust: such words as
long for, hanker for, hunger for, yearn, crave, and desire. In my mind I repeated desire, desire, desire
and I asked our Lord what do you want me to desire? As I asked that question, I
looked up at the canyon and spied a rock formation in the shape of a
chalice. Yes Lord, I exclaimed. I shall
desire to receive you in the Holy Mass. Today would be a good day to rest in
the Lord and go to Confession and Mass-receiving true health; His body and
blood. As we receive realize that He has heard our cry’s and has saved us. Such
is the love of our God!
1465 When
he celebrates the sacrament of Penance, the priest is fulfilling the ministry
of the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep, of the Good Samaritan who binds
up wounds, of the Father who awaits the prodigal son and welcomes him on his
return, and of the just and impartial judge whose judgment is both just and
merciful. The priest is the sign and the instrument of God's merciful love for
the sinner.
Saint Nicolas Eve
Today traditionally is the Eve of the Feast of
Saint Nicholas and is celebrated throughout much of Europe with sweets and
gifts to children. Legend tells us that Nicholas was a man of action and used
his abundance that the Lord provided him to give special protection to children
and unmarried young women. Let us find some way today to practice both the
spiritual and temporal works of mercy. Today would be a good day to do
something that helps children or young unmarried women from the abundance that
God has provided us. For those who cannot share it is suggested to fast twice
this week as was the practice of Saint Nicholas and give the cost of the food
you would normally spend to help those in need. From the store house of your
spiritual abundance your prayers can make a difference: pray especially for women who are enslaved in addictions and/or the sex slave trade. Thousands of men from over 80
countries consistently pray for women lead by an online organization called “e5
men”[2].
Perhaps the Lord is calling you to this.
As is well-known,
"Santa Claus" comes from the Dutch rendering of Saint Nicholas, a
fourth-century bishop famous for giving gifts anonymously to children and the
needy. However, as Father Francis Weiser argues in his Handbook of Christian
Customs (p. 113), the various legends surrounding Santa Claus actually come
from the god of Norse and Germanic mythology, Thor (after whom Thursday is
named). Thor was portrayed as a large, jovial old man with a long white beard
whose symbolic color was red (owing to his association with fire). Thunder was
said to have been caused by the rolling of his chariot (drawn by two white
goats) across the clouds, and his home was said to have been
"Northland," somewhere among the icebergs. The fireplace was also
considered sacred to Thor because it was through it that he came into his
element, the fire. We owe this odd metamorphosis of a Christian saint into a
pagan god to New York City. When the Dutch founded the city in the seventeenth
century, they observed the Catholic custom of "Saint Nicholas' visit"
on the saint's feast day (December 5). This the Dutch did even though they were
Protestant. When English Protestants later commandeered the city, they were
offended by the practice, but their children very much liked it. The compromise
that was eventually made was to transfer the giving of gifts from the 5th of
December to the 25th and to add so many pagan elements to the story that the
figure of the saintly Catholic bishop (who, incidentally, was notoriously
intolerant of heretics) would no longer be recognizable. The older Christian
custom is that on the night of December 5 (the vigil of Saint Nicholas Day),
children write notes addressed to the Child Jesus and put them on their windowsill,
whence St. Nicholas carries them to heaven. A variation of this custom, prevalent
in South America, is to write notes sometime between December 16 to 24 and to
put them in front of the crib, from which point Angels carry the requests to
heaven. Though the value of bringing children up on these stories is open to
debate, at least the older customs explicitly tie the reception of gifts to the
advent of Christ and portray the other figures (Nicholas or the angels) as His
assistants. There was also a charming custom of "St. Nicholas" (a man
dressed as a bishop) bringing gifts to children in person on his feast day.
Tonight, candy for the kids and… for Mom & Dad?
Prohibition Repeal Day[4]
Between January 5th, 1919 and December 5th, 1933, America was dry. And we don’t mean it didn’t get much rainfall – during these years, the consumption of alcohol was banned. This was supposed to end drunkenness and put a stop to crime – but if anything, it just made problems with lawbreaking even worse.
Simply enough, even though it had been banned, there was still a demand for alcohol – and some shady characters made it their business to help America get a swig of the sweet stuff. Soon enough, organized crime would become a key driver of the liquor trade.
Bootlegging, or rum running as it might also be known, became of especial favor with crime lords. Sneaking liquor around the country became a big business in 1920s USA, and despite the best effort of authorities, the big wigs of the underworld were soon reveling in the money it brought them.
Realizing perhaps keeping beer away from the people was causing more trouble than it was worth, a number of repeal organizations were born and eventually, after much consideration, the 18th Amendment was lifted. And so, on the back of all that, we celebrate repeal day.
How to celebrate Repeal Day
If you’re feeling sociable after a day at work, why not get the gang together and go down to your local pub for a few? And if you don’t drink alcohol, you can always get involved with alcohol-free beer, or some tasty virgin cocktails. Cheers!
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