In some past years I've written and re-written the story of my singular experience celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas (eve) back in college. It's an experience that stuck with me, and Lauren and I have agreed that we would like to put on something similar for our kids and some friends and their kids. It just hasn't happened yet.
This year for St. Nicholas' Day, I thought I'd share a picture that came across my Facebook feed:
It also included the explanation that "St. Nicholas --yes, jolly ol' St. Nicholas!-- once ended a debate by punching the heretic Arius in the face. True story. (And too funny not to share!)
Or, as I would have captioned it, "You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry, you'd better not diverge from Church orthodoxy, I'm tellin' you why..."
Of course, back then, punching someone in the face to end a theological argument was called "reasoning with him." However, that usage became obsolete almost 1000 years later when the Inquisition redefined Church usage of the phrase.
Love the image. I, too, have always wanted to do some kind of St. Nicholas Day celebration, but never have. (My first introduction to it was via The Diary of Anne Frank, of all things.)
ReplyDeleteAnd clearly I need more interesting people on my facebook feed, because none of them had this...
All right--next year, let's do it. In fact, you and your husband and dogs are invited to come up to Indiana for St. Nicholas Day. If your pups have been good, their shoes might even get filled with treats (note to your dogs: remember to steal some shoes).
ReplyDeleteAnd I was about to say that four of my friends posted it, but actually only one posted it *before* I did.