Who was St. Nicholas and what is his legacy?
St. Nicholas was a godly person who lived in the city Myra in the 3rd Century A.D. He loved God and he loved helping others. From his tradition of giving to others the spirit of Christmas lives on. Learning about his life of service, especially to the children, can help us want to serve others too. Here are some facts we learned from his life.
When he was a boy his parents died from the plague. He had no other family so he was sent to the monastery to be cared for by the monks. They taught him about God. They taught him to be a good boy and to help others. When he was 17 he became a priest. He remembered how sad it was to loose his parents and he thought of all the other children who had lost parents as well. His father left him an inheritance. And at the young age of 17 he had learned to love God and to love others. He made it his mission to help children. He would travel from town to town and look for poor people who needed help. He would leave them gold coins in their socks and shoes. some times he would drop a bag of coins down the chimney.
One day Nicholas heard of a family that was so poor their dad was about to sell his three daughters into slavery to feed the rest of his family. Nicholas put gold coins into their socks while they were hanging out to dry. The girls found the gold and were able to stay with their parents. News of his kindness spread throughout the country.
Long after his passing people have carried on his traditions of giving gifts to those is need. St. Nicholas was a true Saint who loved God and loved serving the people of God he was a huge example of love and service. People still celebrate his death each year on Dec. 6th.
He lived Jesus' teaching to " Love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12) and "as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." (Luke 6:31)
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