Naughty or Nice?
Every year
at this time there are so many Santa Claus sightings that you have no concept
of who the real one was. And, based on the lunacy in today’s culture, we
probably never will. A recent poll – as if gender could be determined by popular
opinion – has found that 27% of respondents think Santa Claus should be female
or gender neutral (as if that is a biologically viable option). This just adds
to the ridiculous myth about the jolly fat guy giving us what we want.
The problem with the current versions of Santa Claus is that they do not contain even the slightest resemblance to the original St. Nicholas of Myra. He was a bishop and a devout follower of Jesus Christ, the real reason for the season.
Too many people project onto Almighty God their perception of the qualities and characteristics they falsely believe about Santa Claus. All you have to do is sit on the big guys lap, ask him for what you want, and he will deliver it with better efficiency and timing than the Post Office. The only condition to receive his largesse is to have been nice. Nobody really knows who defines being “nice.” Does it mean you hold the door for old ladies and you don’t bite your sister? Even if you did perform these slight transgressions you may still consider yourself nice and thus deserving of what you want and requested. Of course, the opposite behavior of nice is “naughty.” The definition of this word is disobedient or badly behaved. But again, by whose standard are we to be judged. I remember going to get my hair cut one day. The girl I regularly went to had a client ahead of me. In fact, she had two people in her chair. The mother of a little boy was seated in the chair bear hugging her child as he screamed bloody murder while getting his hair cut. He didn’t actually get them all cut because the girl could not reach the back of his head because of the unusual seating arrangement. His mother was in the way. The whole shop heard the commotion. When they went up to pay, the mother handed the boy a lollipop and remarked how “good” he had been. Really? She had reinforced what was obviously bad behavior. I am sure that young tike never got coal in his stocking even though he certainly deserved it!
I saw a recent picture that counseled parents to wrap empty boxes and place them under the Christmas tree. If their child acted up, they would take one of the wrapped empty boxes from under the tree and say, “Well, there goes that one,” and throw it into the fireplace. This type of gesture was designed to elicit good behavior from an errant child. All of this supposed Christmas mumbo jumbo is really a form of “works righteousness.” Behavior of any category would result in some consequence, either positive or negative. Children begin to understand that if they act “nice” around the holidays it is generally a limited time because who can remember and stay nice the whole year. If they put their game face on and suck it up for a little while, it will not kill them, and they will get lots of nice stuff under the tree. After Christmas, they can go back to acting “normal” because they have already collected the loot. Besides, parents don’t have the heart to take the gifts away.
To aid in this Santa Claus conspiracy, and to cover our bases in case we missed a transgression or two, we can bribe the jolly old guy with cookies and milk. How could he not leave me something great when I left him such a feast? The guy with the long white beard who judges whether I am naughty or nice can be appeased by a couple of snicker doodles and a glass of cow juice. What a bargain!
This myth has turned into theology and is being transferred onto God. If we just play nice with others for a while and ask nicely when we sit on his lap, he will give us everything we ask for. There is no cleaning house but just hiding the junk under the bed until the inspection is over and we get what we want. What we really need – and with this attitude may not know we need it much less want it – is what the baby in the manger came to bring us: salvation and eternal life.
St. Nicholas knew this. I truly believe he would be dismayed, even disappointed at how his witness and dedication to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior has been so devalued and twisted. It has morphed into our present parody of what his life and ministry were all about. It is a biological certainty that St. Nick had a “Y” chromosome. It is also a certainty that sitting on his lap and asking for our wants is not what he or Christmas is all about. Christmas is about a need: our need for a Savior!
So, this Christmas, let’s not worry about whether we have been naughty or nice but whether we are saved and sanctified. That is the gift all of us should be asking for this year and every year. There is only one way to receive that. We are given it as a free gift from the baby in the manger who grows up and becomes our Lord and Savior. Enjoy this Christmas, not for what is under the tree, but for who is in the manger. Have a blessed Christ Mass!
The problem with the current versions of Santa Claus is that they do not contain even the slightest resemblance to the original St. Nicholas of Myra. He was a bishop and a devout follower of Jesus Christ, the real reason for the season.
Too many people project onto Almighty God their perception of the qualities and characteristics they falsely believe about Santa Claus. All you have to do is sit on the big guys lap, ask him for what you want, and he will deliver it with better efficiency and timing than the Post Office. The only condition to receive his largesse is to have been nice. Nobody really knows who defines being “nice.” Does it mean you hold the door for old ladies and you don’t bite your sister? Even if you did perform these slight transgressions you may still consider yourself nice and thus deserving of what you want and requested. Of course, the opposite behavior of nice is “naughty.” The definition of this word is disobedient or badly behaved. But again, by whose standard are we to be judged. I remember going to get my hair cut one day. The girl I regularly went to had a client ahead of me. In fact, she had two people in her chair. The mother of a little boy was seated in the chair bear hugging her child as he screamed bloody murder while getting his hair cut. He didn’t actually get them all cut because the girl could not reach the back of his head because of the unusual seating arrangement. His mother was in the way. The whole shop heard the commotion. When they went up to pay, the mother handed the boy a lollipop and remarked how “good” he had been. Really? She had reinforced what was obviously bad behavior. I am sure that young tike never got coal in his stocking even though he certainly deserved it!
I saw a recent picture that counseled parents to wrap empty boxes and place them under the Christmas tree. If their child acted up, they would take one of the wrapped empty boxes from under the tree and say, “Well, there goes that one,” and throw it into the fireplace. This type of gesture was designed to elicit good behavior from an errant child. All of this supposed Christmas mumbo jumbo is really a form of “works righteousness.” Behavior of any category would result in some consequence, either positive or negative. Children begin to understand that if they act “nice” around the holidays it is generally a limited time because who can remember and stay nice the whole year. If they put their game face on and suck it up for a little while, it will not kill them, and they will get lots of nice stuff under the tree. After Christmas, they can go back to acting “normal” because they have already collected the loot. Besides, parents don’t have the heart to take the gifts away.
To aid in this Santa Claus conspiracy, and to cover our bases in case we missed a transgression or two, we can bribe the jolly old guy with cookies and milk. How could he not leave me something great when I left him such a feast? The guy with the long white beard who judges whether I am naughty or nice can be appeased by a couple of snicker doodles and a glass of cow juice. What a bargain!
This myth has turned into theology and is being transferred onto God. If we just play nice with others for a while and ask nicely when we sit on his lap, he will give us everything we ask for. There is no cleaning house but just hiding the junk under the bed until the inspection is over and we get what we want. What we really need – and with this attitude may not know we need it much less want it – is what the baby in the manger came to bring us: salvation and eternal life.
St. Nicholas knew this. I truly believe he would be dismayed, even disappointed at how his witness and dedication to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior has been so devalued and twisted. It has morphed into our present parody of what his life and ministry were all about. It is a biological certainty that St. Nick had a “Y” chromosome. It is also a certainty that sitting on his lap and asking for our wants is not what he or Christmas is all about. Christmas is about a need: our need for a Savior!
So, this Christmas, let’s not worry about whether we have been naughty or nice but whether we are saved and sanctified. That is the gift all of us should be asking for this year and every year. There is only one way to receive that. We are given it as a free gift from the baby in the manger who grows up and becomes our Lord and Savior. Enjoy this Christmas, not for what is under the tree, but for who is in the manger. Have a blessed Christ Mass!
Comments
Post a Comment