St. Nicholas

what does Christmas mean to us?
family, gifts, food, travel, the new Bob Dylan Christmas album?
Christ-Mass, or "Holy Mass" is where the word comes from
if you want to learn something really cool about this tradition,
this season,
read about the original St. Nicholas
he was a 2nd and 3rd century bishop of the Catholic Church
he was a fascinating dude
at one of the councils of the Church
he punched a heretic in the mouth
the guy he punched was trying to say Jesus wasn't fully God and fully Man
he wore red to remind everyone of the blood of Jesus
he put coins in the shoes of people who left them outside at night
he was known for the miracles his prayers brought while he was alive,
and after his death
he became known as Nicholas the Wonderworker
he lived in Turkey and Greece
i imagine if he were around today,
more fists would fly

wkm