Saint Nicholas
Many legends surround him, including calming storms, reviving pickled boys, and saving girls from life on the game by tossing bags of money down the chimney — whence we derive a good part of the current secularized job description. There is no indication in the legend that he was Bishop of the Arctic!
Herewith, however, I add my own contribution to the legend with an icon modeled on my Brother-in-Christ Nathanael Deward — a musician and director of choirs. If anyone learns the gentle art of addressing fallen humanity, including children and sailors, it is a skilled director of choirs, especially church choirs. So here is a gentle face that draws you to do better than you think you can, inspiring you to be as "good" as possible! Remember, he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good, for goodness sake!
Tobias Stanislas Haller BSG
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10 comments:
'Bishop of the Arctic' - hah, yes, I was ordained deacon by the third Bishop of the Arctic, and there was no sign of any Nicholas in the records ahead of him...!
This is so lovely! Thank you Tobias, you share your gifts with great generosity.
Thanks, Tim... always good to check the records! ;-)
You are welcome, Fran. I've been very much enjoying this "living saints" project.
Your icons have become wonderfully lifelike depictions of human history. Thank you.
And who are you, Tobias? Father Krampus?
Jonathan, I'm definitely in the Elf division...
Thanks, PP. The whole "real people" approach is, I think, close to what icons were originally meant to be...
"saving girls from life on the game"
life on the game?
I loved singing, back in seminary, about St Nicholas "unpickling" those boys.
Another lovely icon, Tobias.
Thanks, JCF. The "life on the game" is a reference to the young women who otherwise would have been pimped by their father because they had no dowries -- and S.N. provided three bags of gold... later transmogrified into the pawnbroker's orbs.
A wonderful icon, Tobias. How can one not smile when seeing that face? So approachable and yet, as you note, calling us to do better. Thank you, I really enjoyed seeing this as I returned to work today.
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