Saint Nicholas

Prayer of Saint Nicholas

O good Saint Nicholas,
who brings joy to children,
put in my heart the spirit of childhood,
of which the Gospel speaks
and teach me to sow happiness around me.
You, whose feast prepares us for Christmas,
open my faith to the mystery of God made man.

You, bishop and pastor,
help me to find my place in the Church.

O good Saint Nicholas,
patron of this parish,
watch over all who come to this church
to pray to Jesus,
your Lord and theirs, and also,
on those whom I humbly entrust to you today.
Amen.

Saint Nicholas, the real Santa Claus of Myra.

Just to be honest, when I was a little girl, I believed in Santa Claus while I was growing up with my Catholic family. But later on, I began to believe not just Santa Claus, but the one and only Saint Nicholas, who gives toys to the good children from Heaven, while his little helpers are Cherubs (tiny angels) (instead of elves, of course). 

Now, I still believe him, and I thank the Lord to give the children from around the world, including the poor and lamented, with St. Nicholas.  

Guys, before you're going to say to me "but he's a commercial character, who's so jolly," here's a thing; that's the media's ideas, not the folklore. You see, St. Nicholas was a real Santa Claus because not just to give toys to the children, but gave money to the poor, who are widowers or widow. His unique ability was generosity, because he gives to the people who needed them than he does, while he kept following Christianity in Turkey, during the Roman Empire. Also, yes; he was in prisoned by the Romans because of refusing to let pagan rule over. Luckily, he was released by Emperor Constantine's respectful law, and came back as a bishop again. 

Back when I was a little girl, there was a cartoon that was part of the CCC's cartoons of saints, while some that I only watched was part of my fave childhood memories. Here it is, and check it out. 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb7d3g…

I enjoyed this cartoon, and it's one of my faves, along with St. Francis of Assisi. 

You see, what really made St. Nicholas a hero was because he saved the three maidens, who were the daughters of the woodcutter. The three daughters were about to be slaves to the Romans, due that their father was poor with a lack of dowry. But luckily, Nicholas gave the gold to the family, before the woodcutter thanked him for saving his daughters. 

Also, the reason why he's a patron of kids was because St. Nicholas saved the three children, who were abused by the Butcher. When the evil butcher hunted the kids, he puts them in the tub. But when St. Nicholas came in, he saved the children, before they reunited and restored with their families. His spirit even saved the abducted boy from pirates, long time ago during the feast day. 

That is why he was called "Santa Claus," because of his reputation of giving gifts and bringing joy. After all, "Santa" means "Saint" in Latin.

Here's the information of him: www.stnicholascenter.org/pages…

Now, the symbols are very important to St. Nick in this picture, and I can tell you why:

1. Miter (hat/cap) - represents bishops

2. Crozier (staff) - represents shepherd of his people

3. Three golden balls - represent the dowry of the three maidens

4. Holy Bible Book - represents Christianity, and the recordings of childrens' behavior. 


My belief is the spirit of Saint Nicholas who helps the children and the poor, which it's part of my faith. So yeah... I still believe his spirit is here in Christmas season, while I respect he's real. 

If it weren't for the story of Saint Nicholas, then we wouldn't heard about Santa Claus. I could see why most Christmas specials, especially from Rankin/Bass, was inspired by the story of St. Nicholas, along with the Nativity story. 

Just my belief, so don't take it personal.  Enjoy. 

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Saint Nicholas (c) Christianity
*Medium: Drawing pencils, Prismacolor/Faber-Castell/Copic markers, Acrylic white paint, gouache, watercolor pencils, and color pencils.