Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 / Matthew 9:35 - 10:1, 6-8
If a baby is born today and if the parents are still thinking of a Christian name for the baby, then they may want to consider the saint of today.
Today, the Church honours St. Nicholas, aka Santa Claus, which comes from the Dutch name Sinterklaas.
And with the festive season coming around, it would be good to be reminded of his influence in this particular season.
St. Nicholas lived in the 4th-century and he was the Bishop of Myra (Demre, part of modern-day Turkey) in Lycia. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker .
He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for the modern day Santa Claus.
St. Nicholas and all the other saints throughout history are the embodiment of God's promises to His people from age to age.
In the 1st reading, the Lord says this: "Weep no more!" Because God is gracious to His people He hears their cry and He will answer them. He will dress their wounds and heal their bruises.
That promise of God was fulfilled in Jesus when he came to heal the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, gave speech to the dumb and made the lame walk.
In all this, the Good News of God's promises are proclaimed and fulfilled.
So it was in the past and so will it be now. May this season of Advent and the prayers of St. Nicholas remind us of God's promises.