Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“Appearing to us as the brightest dawn of piety and the epitome of the wondrous stars, Nicholas, the holy hierarch of Christ, trains everyone to give praise to God. As we annually commemorate him, he illuminates the way ahead of us like a light-filled beam of the sun of justice, casting the radiance of his virtues like gold-gleaming rays. Moreover, he stirs lovers of the poor, and indeed those who love Christ and those who pardon humanity, to celebrate his memory with psalmody and with hymns and, by the example he set, with mercy for those in need and, through this, to purify themselves in anticipation of sojourning with us of the divine Word made flesh of the holy Virgin. For I think there is no believer throughout the world who has not found him a help in danger and a keen ally amid various troubles. For this reason, every tongue that reverences him in Christ hastens, as a debtor, to honor him with song and is roused to have him as an advocate before God” (Vita sancti Nicholai, Michael the Archimandrite).
“Appearing to us as the brightest dawn of piety… Nicholas, the holy hierarch of Christ, trains everyone to give praise to God.” So begins the earliest hagiography of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia. When we read the Life of St. Nicholas, as faithful, Orthodox Christians, we cannot help but be impressed with the wonder and mystery of it all: a child born to barren parents; a mother—Nonna, by name—miraculously cured of her illness at the appearance of her son; a babe who refuses his mother’s milk on Wednesdays and Fridays. Curious… how curious!
And the remainder of St. Nicholas’ life is no less curious. He is called thaumatourgos, “wonder-worker,” for good reason. His life is replete, filled with, downright stuffed full of miracles, benevolent and charitable activity, and boldness in the Faith. For those of you who may be unfamiliar: (1) at his baptism, he stood in the font for three hours, in praise of the All-Holy Trinity, (2) he calmed a storm while on board a ship, bound in pilgrimage to the Holy Land; (3) on the same ship, on the same voyage, he cured a man who had been mortally wounded after falling from the mast during the storm; (4) in his time as priest, that is, before he became the Archbishop of Myra, St. Nicholas preserved the chastity of three young virgins. Their father had intended to sell them into prostitution so that they would have money for food. But St. Nicholas provided the family with gold from his own coffer, arranged marriages for the girls, and thereby, safeguarded the family from spiritual destruction; (5) as bishop, St. Nicholas participated in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. He defended true Christology, in word and in action! He smote the heretic Arius on the face! (6) On more than one occasion, St. Nicholas saved his persecuted flock from death at the hands of impious governors and proconsuls, at great risk to his own life. He even stayed the hands of executioners!
Miracles, benevolence, faithfulness, boldness, zeal, asceticism, poverty, chastity, love: we would be so gracious, so blessed to embody any one of these virtues in our Christian walk. But these all were characteristic of the most beloved, the most recognizable of all saints—perhaps, save the Blessed Virgin: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It is for good reason that the Orthodox faithful, Roman Catholic faithful, Protestant faithful, and yes, even millions… upon tens of millions… upon hundreds of millions if not billions of men, women, and children globally, at least once a year, remember this saint fondly and joyfully, by one of his many esteemed names: Santa Claus, Père Noël, Kris Kringle, Sinterklaas, St. Nicholas. Why do so many commemorate him, if only in a most commercial, most secular way? Because he brings them toys? Because he makes for a fantastic and enjoyable, cinematic figure? No, rather, I suppose it is because St. Nicholas—our St. Nicholas, the true St. Nicholas—embodies the good news of Jesus Christ; totally embodies the fruits of the Holy Spirit. He is the very personification of goodwill, charity, grace. In a world which grows more secular, more a-religious daily, there is still a social constituent that desires, longs for holiness, meekness, courage, kindness, and love. St. Nicholas is not incredible, and adored by so many, because he is magical but because he is good. And as Orthodox Christians, we know that he is good, because is filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit of God; the same Spirit which fills, and works in, and works with you and I, believer, to the glory of God the Father.
In today’s Epistle Reading for the saint, we hear from the Apostle say:
“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you what is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Heb 13:20-21, italics mine).
“… [M]ay the God of peace… make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight.” Brethren, I fear that we so often read the lives of the saints, especially so wondrous and bold a saint as St. Nicholas, and we do the worst possible thing we could do with them: we idolize and fantasize. “St. Nicholas is so cool! I wish I could be just like St. Nicholas!” This is the child’s, the adolescent’s, response to the life of the saint. And do not misunderstand me, brethren: we need heroes! We need spiritual heroes! St. Nicholas and others may very well fill that vacancy. They may inspire us, fill us with confidence and hope! However, we also have our own story. “Now may the God of peace… make you complete in every good work to do his will” (vv. 20-21). The Spirit of God which empowered St. Nicholas, and cooperated with St. Nicholas, is the same Spirit that fills each of us. St. Nicholas gave away his wares to the poor. St. Nicholas boldly defended the faith. St. Nicholas opposed governors, even emperors. St. Nicholas put his full trust and assurance in the saving power of Jesus Christ, and… men were healed, storms were calmed. What then does it take to be a saint?
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38, italics mine).
“Deacon, are you saying that I have what it takes to do what St. Nicholas did?” No, brother, sister, you do not have what it takes. But God—working mightily in you—"make[s] you complete in every good work to do his will” (v. 21). Fast from evil; hold fast to goodness. Practice patience, charity, kindness, humility. Cooperate with God, and you too will realize the teaching of our Lord, as did Nicholas, even from his infancy: “With man [… it is impossible to enter the Kingdom], but with God all things are possible” (Matt 19:26).
Through the prayers of our holy fathers and mothers, especially those of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!