Christmas --- Jesus or commercialism, but it wasn't always like that.
From
Learn all about the history and name day information of Saint Nicholas, one of the early saints of the Orthodox Christian Church.
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St. Nicholas was born in the year 270 AD to wealthy parents. He was involved in the Church at an early age and always observed the Wednesday and Friday fasts. His parents died as a result of a widespread infectious disease. This left the orphaned Nicholas to live with his uncle, also named Nicholas, who was the bishop of Patara. His uncle Nicholas made him a reader and later ordained him to the holy priesthood. After inheriting from his parents, he gave generous 'gifts' to those in need. Not like Christmas now but the principle was there.
Before 313 AD, it was illegal to be a Christian in the Roman Empire, even though there were thousands of Christians at that time. The Emperor Diocletian, showing that he would not waiver in his faith, he imprisoned St. Nicholas for his faith, but he was eventually released once Constantine had gained power.
By 325 AD, Fr. Nicholas had become Bishop Nicholas of the city of Myra, also in what is now south eastern Turkey. St. Constantine the emperor of the Roman Empire, called for a gathering of the bishops of the Empire, in that year, to come together and to discuss issues that the Christians were facing. In this meeting, an early heretic of the Church, Arius, was presenting his view of the theology of the Church.
St. Nicholas, in outrage of listening to his faith being violated by the heretic, is said to have punched Arius in the face. For this, St. Nicholas was stripped of his bishop robes and thrown into prison because it was illegal to strike someone in the presence of the emperor. Overnight St. Nicholas repented of his actions, while not repenting of his views, and was visited by Christ, who gave him both an omorphorion (what the bishop wears over his shoulders) and the gospel. He stayed up the rest of the night reading the gospels, and in the morning St. Constantine freed St. Nicholas because he wasn’t in his shackles and was dressed as a bishop.
Another important story about St. Nicholas’ generosity may be why he eventually became called Santa Claus. There was a man who was once wealthy, but had lost most of his wealth. This man had three daughters near the age of marriage, but could not offer a dowry for them to be married to good men. This father feared that his daughters would become slaves. St. Nicholas heard of this family and coming in secret by night, he threw a sack of gold in the window and it landed in a shoe or stocking. This mysteriously would happen before each daughter was to be wed. For the last daughter, the father saw the secret donor of the dowry's was St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas begged that this man not share the things that had happened. The rest is history.
Over the years the giving of gifts at Christmas became common practice, each nation did it there own way, some in different colours, the pine tree was introduced, and gradually we see the commercialised Christmas which is so common today around the world.
Meanwhile the wise men giving gifts to our Lord, on His First Advent, has gradually faded for many. It is so sad. A couple of years ago I said to family, during the Christmas period, I would do away with the Santa Claus Christmas and let people come together and give gifts they could afford as they felt was right. I was shot down in seconds. To many people buy because they will receive a present off someone else, even if they cannot afford it. To many people will buy more expensive items because they know they will get a more expensive one of another person, even if they cannot afford it.
The True Story of Jesus coming at what we call Christmas, actually Advent, has faded as the world become more and more swamped with materialism, buying food much of which will be thrown away, buying sweets and chocolates to gorge on, buying beer, wine and spirits, to drown their sorrow, it is a crazy world for the lost souls.
Christmas morning arrives, kids hyped up from adverts leading to the day, I want, I want, I want, were common calls of kids everywhere, they open their presents, then don't know what to play with or what to do, a fortune has been spent yet many young children end us choosing to play with cardboard boxes. Everybody eats then no body knows what to do, some sleep, others flick through 100's of TV channels and say there is nothing on. They can't wait for Boxing Day to go to the sales.
They don't know Jesus, they don't know what He has done for them, they don't know what he went through for them, they don't even know who St Nicholas is.
The first Advent changed the world, the Christ child was and is the perfect gift, in fact He is the only gift we need.
Thanks be to God, Jesus is Lord.
