It’s Christmas, but not just Christmas!

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For all those who have a birthday within a week of Christmas, I am sure you will appreciate the fine Christmas whine I am about to decant.

 

Christmas grift

You see, I was born on Dec. 19, six short days before Christmas. That might sound nice – being born so close to date upon which our Savior was born. But here’s the downside: You get rooked royally, when it comes to gifts. I recall, through most of my childhood and into adulthood, when my birthday would come around, I would get presents. But as those presents were handed to me, I’d be greeted with this phrase, “This is for your birthday … and for Christmas, too.” In the background, I was almost able to hear singer Barry Gordon intoning mockingly, “I’m gettin’ nothin’ for Christmas.”

Likewise, for those relatives who would visit with us on Christmas Day, I would be handed a Christmas gift, followed by the phrase (no doubt crafted in some dark place where joy goes to die), “This is for you for Christmas… oh, and it’s for your birthday, too.” I knew ding-dong well that in many of those cases the birthday reference was a mere afterthought… but they figured they’d get credit for giving me a birthday and a Christmas gift, when really, really, in the clear blue of morning, they knew that they were just giving me a Christmas gift.

People who have birthdays in other months (or more than a few days before or after Christmas), they do not share the pain of what I like to call “Lose a Gift Syndrome.” But those of us brave souls who are born between Dec.17-25, we have gotten used to it, we accept it, and with proper decades of therapy, we trek onward.

 

Yule be sorry

As bad as this birthday-near-Christmas problem might be, there is a worse Christmas fate. Dig, if you will, this picture: What if you were a saint and your feast day was Christmas? It would be like being Jan Brady at a Marcia Brady Award Banquet. It would be like being the opening act for the Beatles. It would be like being the Sesame Seed on a Big Mac.

I am here to tell you that there are a bunch of saints for whom Dec. 25 is their saint day. And I am willing to bet that you never heard of most of them, and rightly so, as the focus of Dec. 25 is the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, I want to take time in this column to remember those forgotten Christmas Day saints who are no more than a hangnail on the fickle finger of fate as a result of the date of their feast day:

 

St. Alburga

Alburga was a princess, and relative of English King Egbert. Her husband was Wulstan of Wiltshire, who founded the Wilton Abbey in the late 8th century; after he died, Alburga converted that Abbey into a convent for Benedictine nuns. Not only inventive, but she could be the patron saint of “repurposing” things.

 

Blessed Jacopone of Todi

Strap yourself in for this one, it’s a wild ride. Jacamo was married to a women named Vanna (though this one did not turn letters on Wheel of Fortune). Vanna thought Jacamo was too worldly, and privately did penance for his conversion. After Vanna was killed in an accident, Jacamo learned of his wife’s penances for him and was so moved that he abandoned his worldly way of life, sold his possessions, and dressed in rags. His friends thought he was crazy, and nicknamed him “Jacopone” (Crazy Jim). He went on to join the Franciscan order. He later tried to lead an ascetic and quasi-renegade group of Franciscans called “The Spirituals” to bring the order to strict abject poverty, but was rebuked, imprisoned and excommunicated at age 68. But soon, he reconciled with the church and the Franciscans, and spent his final years writing Latin hymns; the most famous of which is the “Stabat Mater” (which is sung between the Stations of the Cross). He died during Midnight Mass in Colazzone, Italy in 1306.

 

St. Peter Nolasco

He was born into a French noble family, and at a young age inherited his father’s fortune. He gave up many of his possession, his noble rank and moved to Spain. Spain, at this point in history, was occupied in large part, by the Moors,

“Visión de San Pedro Nolasco” by Francisco de Zurbarán, 1629.  (Wikimedia Commons)
“Visión de San Pedro Nolasco” by Francisco de Zurbarán, 1629. (Wikimedia Commons)

who were followers of Islam. Peter established the Order of Our Lady of Mercy in 1218, which had as its mission the ransoming of Christians from Moorish oppression. Peter used most of his father’s inheritance in these efforts and won the release of over 400 Christians. I guess you could say he spent “Moor Money” than most in service to the church. He died on Christmas Day in 1258 and was canonized in 1628.

St. Anastasia

You’ve heard her name before: When a priest celebrates Mass and uses the “Roman Canon” (First Eucharistic Prayer), he rattles off a long list of saint names. The last seven names given are women martyrs: “Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, and Anastasia.” This is that Anastasia. From Roman nobility, she was raised a Christian, but married a pagan, in hope of his conversion. Well, that plan backfired; Anastasia was martyred by burning in 304 A.D., during Roman Emperor Diocletian’s persecutions, for practicing her faith.

 

The Martyrs of Nicomedia

This is a big group of martyrs. Tradition tells us that these 20,000 Christians were martyred in and around a basilica in Nicomedia where they were gathered to celebrate Christmas. Their deaths were the work of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

 

Blessed Bentivoglio de Bonis

of San Severino Marche

Blessed B. (easier to remember) was a disciple of St. Francis of Assisi and was one of the first Franciscan priests. He was noted for his preaching and many miracles and healings were attributed to him. He died on Christmas Day 1232.

 

St. Eugenia of Rome

St. Eugenia was from a noble Roman family, but she rejected the pagan religion of the Roman Empire and converted to Christianity, aided by her Christian servants. She and her servants were put to death for their faith during the persecutions of Roman Emperor Valerian. St. Eugenia was beheaded on Christmas Day in the year 258.

 

Blessed Fulk of Toulouse

Also known as “the Minstrel Bishop,” Blessed Fulk assisted St. Dominic in the founding of the Dominican order. His greatest gift to St. Dominic was in allowing him to use the Diocese of Toulouse as a home base, and generously sharing church funds to help Dominic in his work. He was known as the Minstrel Bishop because he had been a professional minstrel in his younger years; but with American Idol not being in vogue yet, he gave up music and became a priest and a bishop instead. He died in 1231.

 

Blessed Michaël

Nakashima Saburoemon

He was born in Japan, and baptized at age 11. As an adult, he was deeply faithful, and though Christianity was illegal in Japan he allowed Jesuit priests to hide in his home and celebrate Mass there. He joined the Jesuits in 1627. A year later, Japanese soldiers were collecting firewood from every house to be used in the burning of Christians. Blessed Michaël refused to provide the wood, and made known his faith. He was arrested and tortured. He was scalded to death in the boiling springs of Unzen, Japan. He died in Christmas Day of 1628 at age 45.

 

Don’t forget to remember

There you have it: some of the saints that share a date with the birthday of the Savior of the world. The birth of Christ is such a pivotal moment in salvation history that it is not a wonder that these holy men and woman are consigned to the “who’s that?” file of saints. As a Christmas gift to these holy folks, I wanted to give them a small moment of remembrance here in print, so that we may not forgot how their lives honored Christ, born to us on Christmas Day.

 

Father Lentini is pastor of Holy Cross Church in Dover and Immaculate Conception Church in Marydel, Md.