 |
|
Life of St. Nicholas from the Prologue of Ohrid
DECEMBER 6
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker,
Archbishop of Myra in Lycia 
| This glorious Saint, celebrated even today
throughout the entire world, was the only son of his eminent and
wealthy parents, Theophanes and Nona, citizens of the city of Patara in
Lycia. Since he was the only son bestowed on them by God, the parents
returned the gift to God by dedicating their son to Him. St. Nicholas
learned of the spiritual life from his uncle Nicholas, Bishop of
Patara, and was tonsured a monk in the Monastery of New Zion founded by
his uncle.
Following the death of his parents, Nicholas distributed all
his inherited goods to the poor, not keeping anything for himself. As a
priest in Patara, he was known for his charity, even though he
carefully concealed his charitable works, fulfilling the words of the
Lord: Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth (Matthew
6:3). When he gave himself over to solitude and silence, thinking to
live that way until his death, a voice from on high came to him:
``Nicholas, for your ascetic labor, work among the people, if thou
desirest to be crowned by Me.'' Immediately after that, by God's
wondrous providence, he was chosen archbishop of the city of Myra in
Lycia. Merciful, wise and fearless, Nicholas was a true shepherd to his
flock. During the persecution of Christians under Diocletian and
Maximian, he was cast into prison, but even there he instructed the
people in the Law of God. St. Nicholas was present at the First Ecumenical
Council of Nicaea [325] and, out of great zeal for the truth, struck
the heretic Arius with his hand. For this act he was removed from the
Council and from his archiepiscopal duties, until the Lord Christ
Himself and the Most-holy Theotokos appeared to several of the chief
hierarchs and revealed their approval of Nicholas.
|
A defender of God's
truth, this wonderful saint was ever bold as a defender of justice
among the people. On two occasions, he saved three men from an
undeserved sentence of death. Merciful, truthful, and a lover of
justice, he walked among the people as an angel of God. Even during his
lifetime, the people considered him a saint and invoked his aid in
difficulties and in distress. He appeared both in dreams and in person
to those who called upon him, and he helped them easily and speedily,
whether close at hand or far away. A light shone from his face as it
did from the face of Moses, and he, by his presence alone, brought
comfort, peace and good will among men. In old age he became ill for a
short time and entered into the rest of the Lord, after a life full of
labor and very fruitful toil, to rejoice eternally in the Kingdom of
Heaven, continuing to help the faithful on earth by his miracles and to
glorify his God. He entered into rest on December 6, 343.
Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Patara
This
Nicholas was the uncle of the great St. Nicholas, and it was he who
guided him to the spiritual life and ordained him a priest.
|
|
HYMN OF PRAISE
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia
Holy Father Nicholas,
The four corners of the world glorify you
As a knight of the powerful Faith,
The Faith of God, the true Faith.
From the cradle he was devoted to God,
From the cradle until the end;
And God glorified him-
His faithful Nicholas.
Famous was he throughout his life,
And even more renowned after death;
Mighty on earth was he,
And even more mighty is he in heaven.
Glowing spirit, pure heart,
He was a temple of the Living God;
For this the people glorify him
As a wondrous saint.
Nicholas, rich in glory,
Loves those who honor him as their ``Krsna Slava'';
Before the throne of the eternal God,
He prays for their good.
O Nicholas, bless us,
Bless your people
Who, before God and before you,
Humbly stand in prayer.
|
|
Troparion - Tone 4
In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith,
an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence;
your humility exalted you;
your poverty enriched you.
Hierarch Father Nicholas,
entreat Christ our God
that our souls may be saved.
Kontakion - Tone 3
You revealed yourself, O saint, in Myra as a priest,
For you fulfilled the Gospel of Christ
By giving up your soul for your people,
And saving the innocent from death.
Therefore you are blessed as one become wise in the grace of God.
O Holy Father Nicholas, pray to God for us! 
|
|
REFLECTION
In icons of St. Nicholas, the Lord
Savior is usually depicted on one side with a Gospel in His hands, and
the Most-holy Virgin Theotokos is depicted on the other side with an
episcopal omophorion in her hands.
This has a twofold historical
significance: first, it signifies the calling of Nicholas to the
hierarchical office, and second, it signifies his exoneration from the
condemnation that followed his confrontation with Arius. St. Methodius,
Patriarch of Constantinople, writes: ``One night St. Nicholas saw our
Savior in glory, standing by him and extending to him the Gospel,
adorned with gold and pearls.
On his other side, he saw the Theotokos,
who was placing the episcopal pallium on his shoulders.'' Shortly after
this vision, John the Archbishop of Myra died and St. Nicholas was
appointed archbishop of that city. That was the first incident. The
second incident occurred at the time of the First Ecumenical Council in
Nicaea. Unable to stop Arius through reason from espousing the
irrational blasphemy against the Son of God and His Most-holy Mother,
St. Nicholas struck Arius on the face with his hand.
The Holy Fathers
at the Council, protesting such an action, banned Nicholas from the
Council and deprived him of all emblems of the episcopal rank. That
same night, several of the Holy Fathers saw an identical vision: how
the Lord Savior and the Most-holy Theotokos were standing around St.
Nicholas-on one side the Lord Savior with the Gospel, and on the other
side the Most-holy Theotokos with a pallium, presenting the saint with
the episcopal emblems that had been removed from him.
Seeing this, the
fathers were awestruck and quickly returned to Nicholas that which had
been removed. They began to respect him as a great chosen one of God,
and they interpreted his actions against Arius not as an act of
unreasonable anger, but rather an expression of great zeal for God's
truth.
Additional information about this wonderful saint can be found at the following website:
http://www.stnicholascenter.org | 
Saint Nicholas Consecrated Archbishop of Myra
|
|
|
