This Saturday, Dec. 6, is the Feast of St. Nicholas. I hope you have your Christmas stockings ready.
    
Nicholas was born in the latter part of the Third Century.  He was a Greek bishop, known for his generosity and kindness. The most famous story about him tells of a very poor family. The father had no money to give as a dowry of his three daughters, without which, in that culture, they could not marry. Nicholas dropped bags of gold at their house for three nights in a row, guaranteeing that they could marry. A woman of that time who was not married had only one option for survival—prostitution. 
    
He was the bishop of Myra and attended the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. The Church was debating a bishop whose name was Arius, who denied that Jesus was co-eternal with the Father but was a creature whom the Father had adopted into the Godhead. A legend many people like to believe is that, as part of the debate, Nicholas slapped Arius. He was then temporarily defrocked and imprisoned because of this act. He was later martyred. 
    
St. Nicholas, of course, became the model for present day Santa Claus. His bag of gifts, and even his red outfit, which is modeled after a bishop’s robes, lend themselves to this fictional presentation.