The season of Advent revolves around the coming of the Christ Child Jesus celebrated at Christmas. Christmas is a compound word combining “Christ” and “Mass” with the clearly stated intention of celebrating a Catholic Mass in honor of the birth of Jesus. Jesus is sent as Emmanuel (Hebrew ‘God with us’) as The Savior to repair the damage done to the human race from the fall of Adam and Eve.

Advent is full of Christian traditions of all sort. One of the central ones in the West centers on jolly Santa Clause. Saint Nicholas (aka Santa Claus) was a saint and bishop of Myra (modern Turkey) who lived from 270-343.

At the Council of Nicea in 325 Saint Nicholas punched out the heretic Arius who falsely asserted that Jesus was a created being who had not existed from the beginning.  Saint Nicholas was subsequently stripped of the title of bishop and his personal copy of the Gospel and his pallium (i.e., worn vestment akin to a fancy robe) were both confiscated.

Minus the symbols of his former office as bishop he was jailed. That very night Jesus and Mary appeared to Saint Nicholas. Jesus asked him why he was there. Saint Nicholas replied, “Because I love you, my Lord and my God.”

Christ then presented Nicholas with his copy of the Gospels. Next, the Blessed Virgin vested Nicholas with his episcopal pallium, thus restoring him to his rank as bishop. When the Emperor Constatine caught wind of the miracle he reinstated Nicholas as bishop.

Let us pray to Saint Nicholas that God might grace us with a fraction of his faith to fight against denial of the divinity and presence of the Triune God.