& A Little Child Shall Lead Them (Isaiah 11:6)

In the past there was the tradition in many countries to elect a boy bishop in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra (aka Nicholas of Bari). In some places this tradition is being revived. 1 of those places is at St Joseph's Catholic School in Greenville, SC. As a part of the celebration, the Right Rev. (temporary) Tyler Neves gave a homily after Mass. (Even boy bishops have to obey the rules about who can & can't preach during Mass.) Here is that homily:

Boy Bishop's Homily

Once there was a little boy who asked his Mom about the big billboards along the roadside. His Mom explained to him all about advertising and how businesses put up big signs to tell people how wonderful they are.

The next week they visited a church and the beautiful stained glass windows amazed the boy. There were images of saints ten feet tall, shining with radiance as the morning light came through the windows. He pointed to the stained glass windows of the saints and said, “Mom, are those God’s advertisements?”

He was right. Saints are God’s advertisements. They tell people how wonderful God is. They show in their lives the power and glory of God. Like stained glass windows, the saints shine with God’s glory and light.

Tomorrow is Saint Nicholas’ Day. Saint Nicholas was a bishop in the fourth century in what is now the country of Turkey. The reason we have a boy bishop is because Saint Nicholas was selected to be a bishop at a very young age, and because St Nicholas is the patron saint of children.

This is because he gave bags of gold to redeem three girls who had been sold into slavery. Because of this it became the custom for children to receive gifts at St Nicholas Day. So the month of December became a special month to celebrate childhood. We get Santa Claus from the tradition of Saint Nicholas. The name Santa Claus comes from the Dutch version of his name—which is Sinta Claas.

The little boy thinking that the stained glass windows were God’s advertisements reminds us that children often see things a different way, and that their way of seeing-- their simple trust and child like joy is the way for everyone to learn about God and follow the way to heaven.

As we celebrate childhood, the most important thing to remember is that God Almighty became a little child in the stable of Bethlehem. In this way God tells us that children are precious in his sight, and that each child is a wonderful gift from God, and that to enter the kingdom of heaven you have to become like a little child.

So, all you high school students and grown ups, remember during this month of December when we celebrate St Nicholas’ Day and Christmas, that if you want to get to heaven you need to be more like us kids.

Posted by Fr. Dwight Longenecker at Monday, December 08, 2008

Go here for more pictures of the boy Bishop, Right Rev.Tyler Neves and his (somewhat) holy canons, the Rev. Noah Davis and Rev. Justin Mehl as welll as the Mass.