Throughout the ages, the beloved 4th century bishop of Myra has become an important part of the celebration of the feast of Christ's Nativity. Many stories have been embroidered in the Christian imagination regarding this good and holy man. In truth there wasn't anything particularly extraordinary about him, by worldly standards at least. His greatness is found in that he was a divinely good person.
St. Nicholas of Myra possessed the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He lived daily in the presence of the Lord and his words and deeds gave witness to this. Especially known for his love and care of the poor and oppressed, he saw all men as persons created in the image of God and for this reason was a most compassionate and merciful bishop to his flock.
The model of St. Nicholas, particularly given to us before this great feast of Our Lord's humble coming, is a reminder to us that real goodness is possible. In light of this, St. Nicholas' example can truly be held up as the very "spirit of Christmas." Because of his lowliness, Heaven was opened to him and because of his poverty, riches were granted unto him. St. Nicholas was good with God's own goodness and his example reminds us of the life that is open to all of us. With God all things are possible.
The following files are the pages of the St. Nicholas Flip Book, a favorite part of the St. Nicholas Unit offered last year on A Living Education. The files are intended to be printed out and cut in half in order to form a small flip book. The pages may be bound by staples or tape so that the child may flip back through his work during this preparatory season.
Download saint_nicholas_flip_book.1.PDF
Download saint_nicholas_flip_book.2.PDF
Download saint_nicholas_flip_book.3.PDF
Download saint_nicholas_flip_book.4.PDF
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