ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 7, 2022
Have you ever wondered how the story of Christ’s birth, later told alongside St. Nicholas’ stories, evolved into Santa Claus, who lives at the North Pole and appears to be only interested in good boys and girls? I find it fascinating that St. Nicholas, who lived between 270 – 343 AD, is not only the Patron Saint of children (makes perfect sense), but also of sailors, repentant thieves, pawnbrokers and brewmasters. Don’t get me wrong, I love almost everything that is associated with Christmas, even some of the strange secular traditions. But I’m troubled by the language we hear from Santa Claus, who appears to punish bad boys and girls and even threatens them with coal in their stockings as a last ditch effort to get them to behave better. Sadly, I think I dangled the “Good child” vs. “Bad child” scenario before my kid a few times in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Unfortunately, I believe that some of our secular traditions have a negative impact on the heart of the Gospel story. The lines between Jesus and Santa Claus become blurred, and before we know it, we seem to be suggesting there are “bad” children. Let’s be clear, there are no “bad” children. We all make a few poor choices; some of us make a few more than others. But from the beginning of Genesis, we learn of the goodness of humanity, and the Jesus story, beginning with his birth, only reinforces the notion. Our starting point is the goodness of all creation, as well as a vision of how we can best embrace the goodness within ourselves as well as in everyone and everything around us. I’m going to keep Santa, hoping to be on the Nice List this year, but I am going to allow Jesus to speak more loudly about how to understand myself and those around me.
No matter my choices, Lord God, your love for me does not change. Yet it is the beauty of your gracious love that invites me to live a life that loves and uplifts all those around me. Love first is what you showed me in Jesus, and I will do my best to emulate it. Amen.
