In his portrayal of the life of Saint Nicholas, his most ancient biographer says that Nicholas received his dignity from Christ’s own sublime nature just as the morning star receives its brilliance from the rising sun…”In the radiance of his virtues,” says the biographer, “the sun’s righteousness has dawned.”
Tradition has always equated Santa Claus with the Bishop Nicholas who participated in the Council of Nicaea and helped to formulate the affirmation of the true divinity of Jesus Christ.
“In putting his signature, in faith, to the 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑚 of the Incarnate Son of God, a person is enabled to be a helper of his fellow men, to bring happiness to children, families, and the oppressed. Faith in the Incarnation promotes the salvation of mankind and the implementation of human rights.”
Nicholas is one of the first people to be venerated as a saint without having been a martyr…His miracle was not that of great heroism in the face of torture, imprisonment, and death. It was the miracle of constant kindness in everyday life.
Another of the legends expresses it very beautifully in this way: Whereas all the other miracles could be performed by magicians and demons, and thus were ambivalent, one miracle was absolutely transparent and could not involve any deception, namely living out the faith in everyday life for an entire lifetime and maintaining charity.
People in the 4th century experienced this miracle in the life of Nicholas… In this man they understood what faith in God’s Incarnation means; in him the dogma of Nicaea had been translated into tangible terms.
The morning star that receives its light from the rising sun—this ancient description of Nicholas is also one of the oldest images of the meaning of Advent.
If we are to be continually lighting candles of humanity, giving hope and joy to a dark world, we can only do so by lighting them from the light of God Incarnate…From the light of Christ we are to light the flame of a new humanity, caring for the persecuted, the poor, the little ones—this is the core of the legend of Saint Nicholas.
-Pope Benedict XVI
