Our father among
the saints, Nicholas, was the only child born to wealthy parents, and was
instructed in the Christian faith by his uncle (also named Nicholas), who was
the bishop in the town of Patara, where St. Nicholas was born. When his parents
reposed, Nicholas gave away his considerable inheritance to help the poor, and
entered the monastery his uncle had established. It was his uncle who tonsured
Nicholas as a monk, and who ordained Nicholas a priest. Throughout his life,
Nicholas was known for his love and mercy, and for miracles worked both before
and after his repose. Part of his legacy can be seen in his presence in our
midst even today. Many nations, including Russia, look to him as a protector of
their land and people, and more than 1,200 churches are named in his honor,
including 400 in Great Britain – more than any other saint. It is estimated
that western artists have depicted him more frequently than any other saint,
apart from the most holy Theotokos. Many people don’t realize that the “right
jolly old elf” dressed in red and driving a sleigh with reindeer has his
origins in this saint: “Santa Claus” is the anglicized version of “Sinter
Klaus” – Dutch for, “St. Nicholas.”
Most of us are
familiar with certain aspects of the life of St. Nicholas. Probably the most
well-known story is how the saint secretly provided gold coins to a family
where poverty threatened to cause the sale of three daughters into
prostitution. The gold – in some stories, it is dropped down a chimney to land
in the stockings of the daughters, which had been hung by the fire in order to
dry – spared the family from such a terrible decision. Many of us also know,
and, in a way, sort of enjoy, the story of how St. Nicholas, enraged by the
heretical teachings of Arius, struck Arius – according to some accounts, he
punched Arius in the nose – at the Council of Nicaea in the year 325. Perhaps
you even know how, on two separate occasions, St. Nicholas intervened to spare
three men who had been wrongfully sentenced to be executed: once, when he
confronted a regional governor who had taken a bribe to find three men guilty;
and again when he appeared in a dream to the Emperor Constantine to tell him
that three officials of the imperial court were innocent of the charges that
had been brought against them. In each case, the condemned men were set free.
While these stories
are familiar to us, we seem to be less familiar with the deeper details of the
life of the saint, the details that make such actions as are celebrated in
these stories possible. What power makes it possible to confront a government
official, risking imprisonment or even death – and St. Nicholas certainly
suffered for the faith during the persecutions under the emperors Diocletian
and Maximian – to save innocent lives? What power makes it possible to stand up
against popular false teachings to defend the Christian faith? What power – and
this is particularly crucial in our world today – makes it possible to break
the grip of wealth and possessions, and to give away a fortune? There is only
one power capable of doing these things: the power of the love of God in Jesus
Christ, that flows through those who love God above all else, and whose love
flows to everyone made in the image of God, making them sources of God’s love
for each one of us to everyone around them. If we do not love God, we will not
put ourselves at risk to protest injustice and unrighteousness, to spare others
from suffering or to save innocent lives. If we do not love God, we will not
take a stand against false teachings; and we will even make compromises with
teachings and practices that do not agree with those of the Orthodox Church and
faith. If we do not love God, then we cannot truly love each other as we
should; and the things of this world that attract and hold our attention –
wealth, fame, honor, power, pleasure – these will capture us and keep us from
rising toward heaven, as St. Nicholas rose, living as an angel on the earth in
the midst of others.
St. Nicholas is
loved by many because he loved so richly. His love for God caused him to turn
his back on the world, giving away his worldly possessions, and not seeking any
worldly honors. His love for God led him to be obedient when, in pursuing a
solitary life, he was instructed by God to live his life in the midst of the
people around him. His love for God led him to love every one of us – and in
his love for us, to seek justice and righteousness for us, and to give gifts of
love.
Brothers and
sisters, let us love one another as Christ loves us – for He went to His
passion and death through the power of His love. Let us love one another as St.
Nicholas loves us, and ask for the grace to follow the example of his life.
Holy hierarch, father
Nicholas, pray to God for us!
By Fr. John McCuen
Source: http://orthodoxsermonsonline.blogspot.com/2009/12/saint-nicholas-power-of-love.html
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