Seven Quick Takes: Punching Heretics

 

Favorite Catholic Meme EVER.

1. Happy St. Nicholas day!  As we all know, this great saint is known for punching the arch heretic Arius in the face at the Council of Nicaea.  It seems he really couldn't stand to listen to Arius try to convince the council fathers that Jesus wasn't really God.  That council then handed down the Nicene Creed (the one we say each week at Mass) affirming that Jesus is both true God and true man.

No boots, Buddy!

2.  Of course the other thing that St. Nicholas was known for was his kindness to those in need, particularly children.

Our kids follow the tradition of putting out their shoes on the the eve of St. Nicholas, so that they could be filled with candy.  This would include the tradition (in our house) of at least one kid trying to put out boots instead of shoes.  This year, Oob tried not only putting out boots, but boots several times larger than his actual shoes!

He was informed that St. Nicholas disapproves of greed and heresy.

3.  Have you visited the St. Nicholas website yet?  I wonder: how many links to it get published every year around this day? Probably millions.  It certainly merits them!

4. We also love the book The Real St. Nicholas.   It has stories from around the world.  My favorite is the one with the Russian Icon.  A young mother accidentally dropped her baby on the way home from Midnight Mass, and the baby fell into the river.  In winter.  In Russia. 

The entire village prayed together to St. Nicholas, and the child was found, wet but unharmed, in the church, in front of the icon of St. Nicholas!

5. Our last co-op of the semester falls today, so, naturally we are having a St. Nicholas party!  The emphasis is on works of mercy, so we are supposed to bring canned goods which will be used in a "Works of Mercy" game, then donated to our local food pantry. We are also bringing "gold"coins for little treat bags for the kids, and for prizes for the other games.

Blogger insists this is right side up. It's not.

6. Based on the story of St. Nicholas secretly dropping gold into stockings drying by the fire, I came up with the entirely imaginative "stocking toss" game.  You toss golden bean bags and try to land on a stocking. 

I happen to own three stockings with St. Nicholas on them. St. Nicholas did this trick for three poor girls who were otherwise doomed to slavery.  You get three chances with the bean bags.

Hmmm.  Will the kids like this game?

7.Zorg, on the the hand, came up with the "Punch Arius" game.

The punching bag says "I'm Arius: I don't think Jesus is true God and true man!"  The game works like this: you yell something to the contrary from the Nicene Creed (like, "One in being, consubstantial with the Father!" or, perhaps, "Light from light, true God from true God!") and then you get to punch Arius.

And then we give you a gold coin and explain that we don't punch modern heretics, those kind need love, patience and apologetics.

Happy St. Nicholas day!  More fun with Jen.