St. Nicholas defended the Catholic faith and worked for peace and justice in his diocese, particularly worked for the good of the victims of human trafficking.
The artwork indicates, so we should imitate.
St. Nicholas, pray for us.
Tag: St Nicholas
St Nicholas
Today is the feast of the defender of the faith and apostle of charity, the bishop Saint Nicholas of Myra. Some of us forget too easily that Saint Nicholas is a significant model of Christian life: truth and love.
The image of Nicholas standing on the back of a devil speaks volumes, don’t you think?
The modern rendition of Nicholas is Santa Claus which too often misses the whole point of who ought to be in real life. Nicholas helps us to see clearly; Claus makes things cloudy.
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Today is the feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia.
The Byzantine Church honors Nicholas in several beautiful texts. This one taken from the sticheron from the Lamp-Lighting Psalms, teaches us:
“What crowns of praise shall we confer upon the saintly Nicholas? Once present in the flesh in Myra, he is present in spirit to all who love him purely. He is the leader and defender of everyone, a comforter in distress, and a haven of all in danger, a pillar of piety and conqueror for believers. For his sake, Christ overcame enemies and shows us great mercy!”
Nicholas has captured the imagination of many through the years because of charity which morphed into gift-giving. He’s not remembered in popular culture as a teacher of the Christian Gospel, or the holy bishop who faithfully served the Divine Mysteries, or for saving the innocent from death, or calming storms, nor challenging the false teachers. And yet, he’s more than all these things. He allowed the Lord to speak eloquently through his life and thus comes to us in 2021 as a friend and disciple of the Lord Jesus.
Would that we could live and act as Nicholas did in the face of false teaching by a life of virtue and charity, by listening to sacred Scripture, and by worthily receiving the Divine Mysteries (the sacraments)? We prayerfully ask St. Nicholas to beg Jesus Christ to save us.
As Knights and Dames of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre it seems that to be renewed for mission we have to consider what one of St. Nicholas’ biographers wrote of him:
“In serving the Lord the youth was fervent of spirit, and in his proficiency with questions of faith he was like an Elder, who aroused the wonder and deep respect of believers. Constantly at work and vivacious, in unceasing prayer, the priest Nicholas displayed great kind-heartedness towards the flock, and towards the afflicted who came to him for help, and he distributed all his inheritance to the poor.”
What more can be said of our eucharistic vocation and mission as members of the EOHSJ? What more can asked of us than to be keen witnesses of St. Nicholas in the world today? May we, in fact, have our sins forgiven and be brought one day into perfect communion with the most holy Trinity.
St. Nicholas, pray for us.
St Nicholas
The Troparion for today’s feast of the great St Nicholas, wonderworker, teacher, model of sanctity and bishop reads:
Nicholas, holy hierarch, your flock has recognized you by the brilliance of your works. You are a model of kindness and rule of faith, a teacher of self-control. Your lowliness has raised you to the heights of fame, and your poverty has filled your hands with riches. Beg Christ, our God, to save our souls.
Nicholas has captured the imagination of many through the years because of charity which morphed into gift-giving. He’s not remembered in popular culture as a teacher of the Christian Gospel, the bishop who faithfully served the Divine Mysteries, for saving the innocent from death, and for calming storms nor challenging the false teachers. And yet, he’s more than all these things. He allowed the Lord to speak eloquently through his life and thus comes to us in 2020 as a friend and disciple of the Lord Jesus.
Would that we could live and act as Nicholas did in the face of false teaching by a life of virtue and charity, by worthily receiving the Divine Mysteries. Nicholas is asked to beg Christ to save us. May we, in fact, have our sins forgiven and be brought one day into perfect communion with the most holy Trinity.
St Nicholas Day
Blessed feast day of St Nicholas!
Thy just works have shown Thee to thy flock as an example of faith, an image of meekness and a teacher of abstinence. By humility Thou didst achieve exaltation, and by meekness, riches. O Father Bishop Nicholas, intercede with Christ our God to save our souls.
(Troparion for St. Nicholas)
St Nicholas
An illustration of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia whose feast we celebrate today.
St. Nicholas is the patron saint of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church in the United States, and protector of our children. Traditionally, before bed the prior night, children would leave their shoes out and upon waking on December 6th they would find them filled with treats left by the saint from the night before. This is a custom observed by many East Slavs throughout the world.
In the illustration St. Nicholas is depicted feeding the poor while wearing the vestments of a Byzantine bishop, notably the omophorion, epigonation, and mitre. The mitre which is topped by a cross, and resembling an imperial crown, was not worn by bishops until after the fall of Constantinople; however, this is how the saint is traditionally depicted in Byzantine iconography.
(Artwork by Yosyf Bokshai, 1922; h/t MW)
Saint Nicholas
We humbly implore your mercy, Lord: protect us in all dangers through the prayers of the Bishop Saint Nicholas, that the way of salvation may lie open before us.
Today’s saint restores the human dignity to his people and brings supernatural light to them, that is, he carries Jesus Christ to others.
Most people today have lost sight of who the real Nicholas is: he moves from being a bishop, one who offers the Divine Liturgy, wonder-worker, and a man of great charity in his teaching truth and helping the poor. We recognize in Saint Nicholas today not a man love and adherence to Christ but someone who represents insipidity. Nicholas is far from the commercial mindset. Hopefully we can target the reality and sweep away silliness.
Two Benedictines who blog give a little more insight into Saint Nicholas: Dom David and Dom Mark Daniel.
Saint Nicholas
The liturgical memorial of Saint Nicholas observed today is an opportunity to reflect on our reliance on others as we go onto the Lord as a community, people who have regard for another. The sainted bishop Nicholas of Myra (Turkey) reminds us of our reception of unmerited grace given by God.
Let us pray for sailors, orphans and pawnbrokers. I’d also like to remember Melkite Bishop Nicholas Samra on his feast day.
The Church prays…
We humbly implore your mercy, Lord: protect us in all dangers through the prayers of the Bishop Nicholas, that the way of salvation may lie open before us.
(RM 2011)
Saint Nicholas
O Holy Father Nicholas, the fruit of your good deeds has enlightened and delighted the hearts of the faithful. Who cannot admire your measureless patience and humility? And who cannot wonder at your graciousness to the poor? At your compassion for the afflicted? O Bishop Nicholas, you have divinely taught all things well. And now wearing your unfading crown, you intercede for our souls with Christ, our God.
(Vesperal antiphon, Byzantine)
Saint Nicholas, bishop
You have proved yourself to be a holy priest, O Nicholas; You served God in Myra and lived the Gospel of Christ. You offered your life for your people; You rescued the innocent from death, therefore God has glorified you as a trustworthy guide of things divine.
(St Nicholas Kontakion, Tone 3)
You were revealed to your flock as a measure of faith. You were an image of humility and a teacher of self-control. Because of your humble life, heaven was opened to you, because of your poverty, spiritual riches were granted to you. O holy bishop Nicholas, we cry out to you: Pray to Christ our Go that our souls may be saved.
The Liturgy’s prayer for Saint Nicholas may be found here.
A brief bio on Saint Nicholas is here.