by M DePaul

Created on: February 18, 2009

Santa is a fictionalized character taken from a person that did at one time exist; Nicholas of Myra in Lycia who became an archbishop of Myra and later a saint because of his benevolence and giving to the poor. Usually he would leave sums to the poor without allowing those to know who the benefactor was. He would leave pennies in the children shoes that left them for him. The type of giving which he had practiced was taken from scripture; where one is asked to do a good deed but not allow the one receiving to know; this was done because it was only God who knew what is done in secret. Jesus said" that thy alms (charity to the poor) are given in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret himself will reward thee openly." Matt 6:4. Saint Nicholas went on to be canonized and the tradition over centuries of secret gift giving was passed from him to Santa, who is not a real character and unfortunately children are not being told the truth about this fictionalized person. Whether the act is kind does not justify the disappointment and distrust from discovering the truth that there really isn't a Santa. Considering that Christmas was originally to celebrate the birth of Christ which is about truth and has been replaced with deception is quite astounding in itself.

Aside from the fact that there are those who may not believe in Jesus; the very profound meaning and the implications of the holiday cannot be denied; the spiritual infant being awakened into the material world. The very word Christmas (Old English cristes maesse) or Christ's mass, denotes it's meaning yet somehow its true meaning has become obscure. The concepts, principles and values which were to be derived by his birth have been lost. How it came to be more about giving of material gifts and commercialism and not about the nature of the internal aspects of spiritual giving is remarkable due to the fact that this was in direct contrast to what Christ's birth and life was about. He abhorred materialism and spoke often about it. It was for this reason he became incensed in the synagogue when the Pharisee's and Sadducee's were conducting business in the house of prayer.

And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all that sold and bought in the temple: and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them" It is written; my house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves". Matt 21: 12 KJV

Jesus was the symbol and

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>