Our kids love to play house. This Thanksgiving, they especially loved it when they smooshed inside my sister’s outdoor playhouse complete with a loft, which would make a perfect location for a camp out. For them, to play house is to leverage their imagination and mirror what they love about our family and home life. Sure, it may also be their opportunity to do things the way they wish we did as their parents or rehearse schemes to overthrow mom and dad. But in the end, a large reason they like to play house is because theirs is safe. Tragically, the same cannot be said of all children.
On this Feast of St. Nicholas Day, I am reminded of an ancient story about home. In Myra, pirates had raided the village. As they fled with their stolen goods, they abducted a young boy, Basilios, who was made a cupbearer of the Cretan ruler. A year later, Basilios’ mother retreated to her house and prayed for Saint Nicholas, who was also the deceased bishop of her town, to protect her only child. That same moment, story goes Basilios was questioned by the ruler about his downcast spirit. He replied, “I’m thinking of home and the special feast day of St. Nicholas.” That is when the ghost of St. Nicholas lifted the boy by the hair, out of the possession of his abductor, and returned him home.
Today, I am lifting prayers for children in search of home. I pray for kids who live in violent homes, others who bounce from foster home to foster home, young ones who migrate from oppressive, corrupt, and war-torn nations, modern-day youth ripped away from their homes and trafficked for horrific purposes. I pray, also, for those parents who long for their children to return home. Then I pray each of us would dare to have the faithful imagination to ensure all children one day have a home.
Read more of my favorite St. Nick reflections here or on the label below:
https://gregklimovitz.blogspot.com/2014/12/st-nicholas-would-sandal-slap-santa.html?m=1