The call of John the Baptist is to prepare the way of the Lord by making a pathway straight, without barriers. Today, December 6th, is the Feast of St. Nicholas, and how many remembered, much less celebrated, this remarkable Saint. Nicholas, like the Baptist, prepared the way for the jolly, old elf we call Santa Claus. This beautiful Saint of charity and protection ignited the imagination, allowing legend and myth to give birth to one whose sole purpose is to give gifts.
The “gift giver” is at his best, appearing in many colors, but usually on the “large” size, when he gazes into the wide eyes of a wondering child. Innocence is reclaimed on this Feast and the joy of being child like. Our increasingly secularized society is etching away the wonder of childhood, robbing our children of being able to create a colorful world of the imagination.
As Jesus calls us to search for that one lost sheep , I pray that we may search and find lost innocence. If we find it, we have discovered the “pearl of great price.”
Happy Saint Nicholas Day