Housechurching - on St. Nicholas
Yesterday for our housechurch, we discussed how the fruit of the Spirit were evidenced in the life of St. Nicholas. Saturday was St. Nicholas Day, a holiday we always celebrate; so we decided to continue our study.
We all agreed that St. Nicholas exhibited love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Taliesin, who is eleven, discussed the time St. Nicholas gave bags of gold to a poor family so their daughters could have a dowry, which was a big deal back then. He then thought of the fact that St. Nicholas spread joy to children. (He is the patron saint of children, according to Catholic ideology).
Nathanael, who is nine, said something that I love. He said St. Nicholas loved with his heart. Nothing else.
That love showed through in his actions, in helping others, in caring about others.
So the story goes, St. Nicholas ran from his calling when his father died. During his time of searching, he saw a nun giving food to others. He asked her if she doing that made her happy. She told him no. It was because she was happy that she was giving to others.
That was a turning point for St. Nicholas - a time when, as my son so aptly stated - he began loving with his heart. Nothing else. A good example for us to follow.
We then discussed which of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are often difficult to display in our lives. We discussed which ones may have been difficult for St. Nicholas. I wondered if faithfulness may have been difficult for him. Could it have been difficult to always be faithful to the calling God placed upon his life? Taliesin and Nathanael both agreed that the most difficult for them is self-control. I think that's a difficult one for all of us.
We all agreed that St. Nicholas exhibited love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Taliesin, who is eleven, discussed the time St. Nicholas gave bags of gold to a poor family so their daughters could have a dowry, which was a big deal back then. He then thought of the fact that St. Nicholas spread joy to children. (He is the patron saint of children, according to Catholic ideology).
Nathanael, who is nine, said something that I love. He said St. Nicholas loved with his heart. Nothing else.
That love showed through in his actions, in helping others, in caring about others.
So the story goes, St. Nicholas ran from his calling when his father died. During his time of searching, he saw a nun giving food to others. He asked her if she doing that made her happy. She told him no. It was because she was happy that she was giving to others.
That was a turning point for St. Nicholas - a time when, as my son so aptly stated - he began loving with his heart. Nothing else. A good example for us to follow.
We then discussed which of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are often difficult to display in our lives. We discussed which ones may have been difficult for St. Nicholas. I wondered if faithfulness may have been difficult for him. Could it have been difficult to always be faithful to the calling God placed upon his life? Taliesin and Nathanael both agreed that the most difficult for them is self-control. I think that's a difficult one for all of us.
Comments
Post a Comment