Chapter 5

The Life of Saint Nicholas

DURING the first ages of the Christian era, the Church suffered much persecution from wicked persons and pagan governments. To spread the faith of Christ, as well as to uphold the struggling Church, it pleased God to send into the field specially chosen men, His servants, tried in the faith, and powerful both in life and in the Word. Such, among others, was Saint Nicholas, whose memory we celebrate on the 9th of May, the occasion on which his incorruptible relics were carried from the city of Myra to the city of Bari, and also on the 6th of December, the day of his burial. St. Nicholas was born in the second half of the third century, in the city of Patara, of the country of Lycia. From early childhood the beginnings of those virtues by which he afterwards was glorified by God before all the people, could be seen in his person and behavior. After his studies at home, having attained the age of manhood, his uncle, whose name was also Nicholas — he being the bishop of Patara — raised him to the dignity of a presbyter. During the sacrament of the laying on of hands, the bishop, being inspired with a spirit of prophecy, turned to the congregation, and showing the young man, exclaimed, “Brethren, I see a new sun, rising above the earth, and promising comfort to all the suffering. Blessed is the flock which shall have him for its pastor; for he will bring the wandering sheep to the truth, he will pasture them in the meadows of piety, and be a helper to all which sorrow.” The whole life of St. Nicholas was a fulfillment of these prophetic words. He never ceased to help the suffering, defend the innocent, uphold the weak by the word of truth and faith, and to set himself as an example of all Christian virtues. After the death of his parents, the whole of his rich heritage he gave in good works, endeavoring at that not to be known by those whom he befriended; for he remembered the commandment of God— to do good in secret, and not to seek for it the glory of men. Here, for an instance, is one of the great many benefits shown by St. Nicholas. A very rich citizen of Patara had suddenly lost the whole of his property, and fell into extreme poverty. Having been accustomed to riches, he did not find the strength to battle with the temptations of poverty, and he had commenced thinking already of procuring means for a living for himself and family, which consisted of three grown-up daughters, by a dishonorable practice. But he had not yet the opportunity of carrying out his evil intention, when he was saved by the timely help of St. Nicholas. Having heard of his troubles, St. Nicholas, under the cover of night, threw into his window a large amount of gold, tied up in a sack. On awakening in the morning, the unhappy father scarcely could believe that he unexpectedly became rich. His business was restored, and he soon gave his eldest daughter in marriage. St. Nicholas decided to settle in life the two other daughters in the same way, and after some time cast another sack of gold into the house of their father. The second daughter was honorably settled, and the happy father poured out before the Lord his grateful feelings: “Merciful God, who redeemed us with Thy blood, and now saving me from sin and dishonor,” thus he prayed, “show us the one who serves as the instrument of Thy goodness; show unto us this Thy earthly angel, who keeps us from sin, and delivers us from evil thoughts.” This desire was granted. One night he heard the window opened, and the sound of a bundle thrown into the house, as before. He hurriedly arose, went in pursuit of his benefactor, and discovered Nicholas, who at that time administered the affairs of the diocese of Patara, in the absence of his uncle, who went to Jerusalem. He fell at his feet, and with tears of gratitude, he said: “If the Lord hath not sent you for our deliverance, I would not have withstood temptation, and would have enticed into sin and dishonor my innocent daughters.” After the return of his uncle, St. Nicholas himself went to pay his reverence at the tomb of our Lord, and during the voyage he stilled the stormy sea by his prayer, and brought to life a sailor who was killed by falling from the top of the mast. Continually growing more fervent in his love toward God, he settled in a monastery, desiring to devote his whole life to the Lord, and serve Him in the labors and privations of a monastic life. But the will of God prepared for him another field. One night, whilst praying, he all at once heard a voice say to him: “Nicholas, if thou wouldst have a crown from Me, enter thou in the way of labor among the populous crowd.” In fear and doubt, Nicholas pondered about the meaning of such a calling. The same voice said again: “Nicholas, this is not the field in which you may reap the expected fruit. Turn to the people, that My name may be glorified in thee.” Then it was that Nicholas understood that the Lord desired another service of him, in place of the monastic life he was leading. Submissive to the will of God, he left the place he had selected for his abode, and went to Myra, the principal city of Lycia, not knowing yet what the Lord would of him, but ready to fulfill His commandment. At this time an election in Myra was taking place, in order to elect an archbishop in the stead of John, who died. Having gathered from all the cities, the bishops were anxious about the election. Understanding, of course, that God alone could enlighten and guide them, they therefore approached the election in prayer and fasting. The Lord heard their prayer, and to one of them he revealed His will. During prayer, a man, shining with a heavenly glory, appeared to this bishop, and told him to remain at the door of the church that night and to wait for the people. “The first one that enters,” said he, “is the elected of God; his name is Nicholas.” This bishop told this to the others, and stopped by the church doors, while the council of bishops were gathered in the church. In the mean time, St. Nicholas, having arrived in Myra, spent most of his time in prayer, and during this night, as usual with him, he went to the temple to hear matins. Hardly had he entered the door, when the bishop stopped him and inquired about his name. “Nicholas, the servant of your holiness, sir,” he humbly answered. At that the bishop took him by the hand, and led him into the temple, where he placed him in the midst of the bishops. A rumor of this incident very soon spread around, and consequently a great multitude of people had come to the church. Having been strengthened by the vision, the bishop mentioned before addressed the people, and pointing out Nicholas, he said: “Brethren, accept your pastor, who is anointed by the Holy Ghost, and to whom He entrusted the ruling over your souls, who is elected, not by a body of men, but appointed by God.” The people rejoiced, and thanked the Lord. St. Nicholas, in deep humility, did not consider himself worthy of so high a dignity, and he wished to refuse to accept the office, but he submitted to the will of God and became an archbishop. Having become the pastor of the Church of Lycia, St. Nicholas, always strict unto himself, multiplied his labors with the thought that, in his new place, he must not live for himself, but for others. He selected two worthy presbyters to be his advisers and assistants, and with untiring devotion gave himself to care for those who were given to his charge. As a father, he received every one; he listened with sympathy to anybody’s troubles, gave advice and help, and with strong determination defended the innocent and the ones offended. In the midst of such work he was taken by a sense of great danger which had come upon the Church, namely, the persecutions of the emperors Diocletian and Galerius. These fearful times of suffering lasted for ten years, and they were commenced in the city of Nicomedia, where about 20,000 Christians were burned to death while at prayer in the church. From this place the persecutions spread to every part of the empire. Not only in the cities and villages were Christians sought after, but they were hunted down in mountains and caves. Not fearing the danger, St. Nicholas continued to preach Christ, and therefore he was taken, with many Christians, and cast into prison, where they were kept for a long time, suffering hunger, thirst, and all sorts of trials. But the bishop, for all that, never ceased to console them with the Word of God. Now the Emperor Constantine came to the throne, and as he had known the true God, he gave all Christian prisoners their liberty. At the same time he destroyed the temples of the idols, and built many churches in honor of God Almighty. And so St. Nicholas was at liberty. In the year A.D. 325, the first universal council of the Church was held. The chief object of this gathering was to testify to the truth against Arius, who impiously taught that the Son of God was made. Nicholas was one of the saints and teachers of the Church who had come to Nicea. Fervently testifying to the truth, he for a moment seemed to be transformed into a being resembling the Divine Wrath, when he struck a blow at the false mouth of the insolent Arius. For this act the holy fathers condemned him to be deprived of the episcopal insignia. But in the very same night many of the worthier ones had a vision, in which they saw the Lord Jesus Christ on the right side of St. Nicholas, who gave him the Book of the Gospels, and the most pure Mother of the Lord on the left of St. Nicholas, as she gave him the omophorion. By this it became known to them that the Lord Himself and His Holy Mother regarded Nicholas to be worthy of the holy office; they accordingly restored him, and thenceforth, notwithstanding his audacious conduct, they honored him as God’s elect servant. Soon after his return to his diocese, St. Nicholas saved from an unjust execution three citizens who were condemned to die by a wicked judge, who was bought over to the side of the false accusers by gold. Among other good works and miracles performed by St. Nicholas, he at one time delivered from a criminal’s death three army officers of high rank, who were under the ban of the emperor at Constantinople through suspicion aroused by envious persons. These three officers were personally acquainted with St. Nicholas. In their prayers to God, they mentioned Nicholas as a lover of justice, and, although St. Nicholas was a great distance away from them, he made his influence spiritually felt, through God’s powerful grace, by the emperor and the prefect of Constantinople. He also saved some seafaring people in a storm; but when he noticed that they were addicted to bad habits, he admonished them in a way which made them repent. Wonderful was the power that his words had in winning the hearts of people; likewise his person, bright with the grace of God, influenced the very stubborn pagans, whom he converted. Many are the miracles of St. Nicholas, performed by him in sickness and other troubles of poor mankind, which are recorded in history, since the time in which he left this earthly abode, and of which we often hear in Russia, where many beautiful churches are dedicated to his blessed memory. He died in his very old age, and was buried in the cathedral of Myra, in the year 342. His holy body, which still seemed to be the temple of the Holy Ghost, was moist with a kind of aromatic oil, and Christians who were anointed with it in their sickness were healed.