Nicholas of Myra (or Bari) in modern-day Turkey was a Catholic Bishop who lived from 270 to December 6, 343 AD. He was known for secret gift-giving plus so many miracles were credited to him, he was granted sainthood. His name, Saint Nicholas transitioned to Sint-Nicolaas and then Sinterklaas and finally to Santa Claus, that jolly, rotund fulfiller of wish lists who delivers faster than Amazon Prime.
Catholic Church law requires three steps to establish saints: candidates become “Venerable,” then “Blessed” and finally “Saint,” people who live and go beyond normal in many areas and bless and change the lives of others.
My cheerful local handyman usually helps me once a year and was here on a second day of scraping and repainting a bedroom ceiling when a galvanized pipe burst under my house. It turns out Greg also has plumbing skills so he slithered into the small scrawl space through Mississippi mud, identified the needed parts, and had my water reconnected by nightfall. He finished painting the bedroom the next day, but now I call Greg “St. Gregory.”
The Bible often addresses “the saints” of “the household of God” and invites us to be saints. In I Corinthians 1, Paul writes “to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I like how the J.B. Phillips version words it. “Paul, commissioned by the will of God as a messenger of Jesus Christ . . to the church of God at Corinth—to those whom Christ has made holy, who are called to be God’s men and women.”
I live in Corinth (MS) half the year, so need to pay attention most of all.
Whether it’s St. Nicholas or St. Gregory, we’re all invited to rely on God’s strength and love to go above and beyond, while reaching out and moving on, in kindness, patience, love, endurance, and every attribute. Let’s aim to be helpful saints, “God’s men and women,” every day of the year!
If you like this blog, you might also enjoy Reading Books with Our Ears, Nov. 28, 2023; The Story Behind the Book, May 2, 2023; How Winning a Contest Changed My Life, April 18, 2023.
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