Is 'Santa Claus' a Pseudonym?

     Santa Claus, Pere Noel, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, and Jolly Old Saint Nick are all names for the man who drives a magic sleigh, has a sack full of toys, and a stomach ‘like a bowl full of jelly.’  Children wait all year for this mysterious yet beloved man to appear with the presents on Christmas Eve, yet not many children or adults know much about him except that he's the most important resident in the North Pole and has elves who help him.  So where did Jolly Old Saint Nicholas come from?

     St. Nicholas was a bishop who lived in what is now known as Turkey during the 4th century.  At age nine he became an orphan, and this was just the beginning of his difficult life.  When he was older he studied philosophy and Christian doctrine, and was known as a candid troublemaker.  Roman Emperor Diocletian, who was not a fan of the Christians at all, wanted Nicholas to stop preaching Christianity.  He had Nicholas arrested and jailed twice. (Yes, ‘Santa’ has a criminal record.)  St. Nicholas eventually became the Bishop of Myra, and was known for his good will and red bishop’s robe.

      The legend of Santa Claus comes from a traditional story of St. Nicholas.  Generous Bishop Nicholas helped his poor neighbor to pay for his daughters' weddings by sneaking to their house in the middle of the night and dropping a handful of coins through the open window.  It was enough money for the eldest daughter to be married, and the Bishop would duplicate this act again for each daughter.  From this story of St. Nicholas the legend of Santa Claus was born, and it has grown into the tales we know today, full of stockings, chimneys, presents and all that Christmas stuff.  

      During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, Catholic St. Nicholas and tales of his adventures were frowned upon.  In the Netherlands he was renamed ‘Sinterklaas’ and stories of a kindly man who wore red robes, had elfin assistants and traveled from house to house delivering presents for children emerged.  After Dutch immigrants came to the United States, ‘Sinterklaas’ evolved into the ‘Santa Claus’ we know today.

      The true story of St. Nicholas is full of suffering, simplicity, humility and generosity, as is the story of Jesus’ nativity.  Both young and old focus on Santa Claus during the Christmas season but they forget that Jesus’ birth is what we are celebrating.  It is saddening that the story of God becoming a human is not good enough for some, though it is intriguing, beautiful and heroic.  Instead, they turn to a man with a sack full of toys and cheeks like roses and a nose like a cherry to provide their Christmas joy.  As Christmas draws near, everyone must decide who the real reason for the Christmas season really is: Jolly Old Saint Nick or Jesus Christ?

         Watch this video for more history of St. Nicholas, whose feast day is celebrated on December 6th.

What Does A Guardian Angel Do?

   

          Angels appear everywhere in our world, from books to Victoria’s Secret advertisements, tattoos to movies.  There are many believers in these mysterious, spiritual beings, but not everybody knows what an angel exactly is.

     The Catholic Church defines angels as pure spiritual creatures of God who have no bodies, cannot die, and are usually not visible.  They have understanding and can convey God’s will and protection to men. (Check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church for more info)

     No matter how we imagine angels, from the smiling cherub with two wings and a shiny halo on a Precious Moments card to the scantily clad beauty with fluffy wings in a magazine ad, they are not human.  Furthermore, humans cannot become angels when we die, but we can become saints!  Whether you believe in them or not, angels are mentioned many times throughout the Bible.  Psalm 91:11-12 says,

“For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways.  On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

     Angels exist solely to praise God and carry out His will.  God gives every person a guardian angel, a spiritual being that burns with love for Him and serves Him day and night.  We can pray to our guardian angel for ourselves and for others, and with confidence we can know they will bring our love, messages and prayers to those of whom we are thinking.  We must ask our angels, though, because they cannot read our minds.

     A guardian angel is an amazing gift from God to you.  They are always with you and yet still with God, and are sources of His power.  Your guardian angel is waiting for an invitation to pray with you, help you to stay focused on God and to watch over you.  Think of them as a heavenly police force, on duty to protect you and to serve God! (Read the article that inspired this post here)

Guardian Angel Prayer

Angel of God, my guardian dear,

To whom God’s love commits me here,

Ever this day be at my side,

To light and guard, to rule and guide.

Amen.

What Does Pope Francis Mean When He Says...?

            Recently, Pope Francis has been quoted saying some strange things.  Inside and outside the Catholic Church, questions abound as to what the Holy Pontiff could possibly mean.
            Since his election to the Papacy on March 13, 2013, Pope Francis has been turning heads with his outspoken remarks.  However, everything Pope Francis is saying about the Church is nothing new.  The subjects he refers to are only being brought to light in a very different way than that of his predecessors.

            “If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”  What Pope Francis means is: its wrong to judge others, it is a task reserved for God.  It is necessary to use a well-formed conscience to discern whether or not an action itself is sinful, but one must not judge the actual person.  Pope Francis also means that everybody is a sinner and everybody deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.

            “We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”  The Catholic Church wills everyone to be saved and prays that all can come to know Jesus as his or her savior.  However, if people do not look to Jesus for redemption, arguing and fighting about it will not help.  The pope wants all people, regardless of beliefs to be united in their vocation to serve others.

           

Cardinal Timothy Dolan said, on the different but effective style of Pope Francis’s preaching:  “The way he’s doing it is so fresh and is so captivating, but he’s not really changing anything of the essence of the church.”

A CBS Interview with Cardinal Dolan on the message of Pope Francis:

How Should I Pray?

    Have you ever wondered how you should pray?  If you have, you are not the first person to do so!  In Luke 11:1, one of the disciples asks Jesus to teach him how to pray, and Jesus responds by teaching him the Our Father.  Blessed John Paul II said,

    "By teaching us the “Our Father” Christ establishes the pattern for all prayer. He explains our relationship with God and with one another: God is our Creator. He is our Redeemer. With him as our common Father we are brothers and sisters to one another." (JPII Homily)

    As Christians, it can be hard to find time to develop and nurture a strong prayer life. There are lots of recited prayers, such as the Our Father, St. Michael prayer and the rosary, but how should you pray if you just want to talk to God?  Lifeteen, a Catholic organization that works with youth ministry, lays out six tips for prayer in an article.

    1.  Say hello!  To begin prayer, we must acknowledge that we are in God's presence.
    2.  Be yourself.  God wants to be in a relationship with us just as we are.  He wants us to grow in holiness through Him so that we can radiate His love wherever we go.
    3.  "Teach us to pray"  Even the Apostles, who spent so much time with Jesus, did not know how they should pray.  So they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.  Ask God to help you, and remember that He is always listening.
    4.  Hit the brakes!  There is so much in the world that is constantly surrounding us and keeping us busy.  Take a break from something you do everyday, (the internet, tv, etc.) and spend even ten minutes praying instead.  Keep God as the center of your heart and mind.
    5.  Keep it alive.  If you keep your prayer life strong, this will reflect into other areas of your life.
    6.  Let it transform you.  The only way to perfect your prayer life is to practice it.  Take time to enter into prayer, let God speak to you, and be amazed by the ways it will effect your life!

    There are many ways of praying, and each one has its strengths.  Each person can discover and use the form of prayer that suits them best.  Just as the disciples did, ask God to teach you how to pray.

    To read the full Lifeteen article on prayer, click here!

What is a Saint?

The Catholic Church teaches that a saint is anyone who is in heaven.  Whether by becoming one on earth or in purgatory, everyone must be a saint before entering heaven.  Typically though, saints today are seen as the ones acknowledged by the Roman Catholic Church.

            “…the Church recognized the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors” (Catechism 828).  In the Catholic Church, saints are seen as individuals who can pray and intercede for people still on earth.

            Usually a person must be dead for at least five years before the road to sainthood is even begun.  The first step consists of the local bishops studying the candidate’s life and writings.  If there is enough evidence of heroic virtue, this information is then sent to the Vatican.  The Congregation for the Causes of Saints (a panel of theologians and cardinals at the Vatican) then takes a careful look at the candidate’s life and, if approved, the pope will then proclaim the candidate venerable, which means that they are a role model of the virtues exemplified by the Church.  Then, to be beatified, it must be proved that a candidate is responsible for a posthumous miracle.  Martyrs for the Faith can be beatified without a miracle.  The last step, canonization, occurs with a papal decree that the candidate was holy and is in heaven, interceding for us with God (this step must include another posthumous miracle attributed to the candidate in question).

            So, in all honesty, saints are humans.  They are people who have dealt with trials, temptations, doubts, and fear.  The main difference between saints and “regular people” is just in the way that they responded.

“Life holds only one tragedy, ultimately:  not to have been a saint.”

                                                                ~Charles Peguy

Click on the link to browse the list of saints: http://saints.catholic.org/saints/

References:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question619.htm

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0004.html

Wondering About the Upcoming Consecration of the World to Mary?

  In August, an announcement was made that Pope Francis would soon consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Mary, who is an important figure not only in the Roman Catholic Church but in others such as the Eastern Orthodox, Anglecan and Lutheran churches, is highly revered and loved by many people.  Pope Francis, the newly elected head of the Catholic Church, requested that the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima be brought to Rome for the consecration taking place on October 13th. 

    Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared to three Porteguese children in 1917, requested the reparation of sins.  During her apparitions, she spoke of increasing prayer and devotion to her Immaculate Heart.  Now, almost one hundred years later, Pope Francis will carry out the Blessed Mother’s desire and consecrate the world as a whole to her care.  On October 12^th, the statue will journey from its home in the Chapel of Apparitions to Rome where the pope will celebrate mass the next day.  After, it will be returned to its home in Portugal.  A quote from the Catholic News Agency article by Archbishop Rino Fisichella:

“The Holy Father strongly desires that the Marian Day may have present, as a special sign, one of the most significant Marian icons for Christians throughout the world and, for that reason, we thought of the beloved original Statue of Our Lady of Fatima.”

    Mary is an important part of many lives, and this upcoming consecration has excited the Catholic community as a whole.  To read more about the consecration to her Immaculate Heart, click on the link below.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-to-consecrate-world-to-marys-immaculate-heart/

What is the Liturgy of the Hours?

     The Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office, is a Catholic set of prayers emphasizing their deep connection with the Jewish faith.  When many Christians were not being allowed in the Temple or synagogues, these prayers developed out of the early Christian desire to “pray always and never lose heart,” Luke 18:1.  Early Christians, who were also Jewish, wanted to continue their customs so times of prayer were done at the third (9:00 a.m.), sixth (noon), and ninth (3:00 p.m.) hours.  Also, there were two major times of prayer:  Morning (Lauds) and Evening (Vespers).  These times coincided with the morning and evening sacrifices in the Jewish Temple.

     In the fourth century, when Christianity became legal, people started gathering around their bishop for brief prayer so that lay people, who had work, families, and other responsibilities, could participate.  This early version consisted of a psalm, antiphon (short verse), Scripture reading, homily, and intercessions.

     Later on, the “monastic office” became popular among the Religious.  Since monks and nuns had more time to devote to prayer, the Divine Office was lengthened. Support for this communal liturgical celebration died out in the Western church.  Then came the Franciscans.  Their founder, St. Francis of Assisi, bade his followers to travel light.  The Vatican then provided a condensed version of the Divine Office, called the “breviary” (from the Latin word for “abbreviated”).

     In the years since, the Church has been trying to regenerate the importance of this communal liturgical celebration that, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “…is like an extension of the Eucharistic celebration…”(1178).  Today, lay people are encouraged to participate in the Divine Office either with a priest, each other, or individually.

     Following is the link for today’s Night Prayer.  This website offers all the prayers used in the Divine Office.

     http://divineoffice.org/?date=20130906

References:
http://divineoffice.org/liturgy-of-the-hours/
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=264
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm