Saturday, December 09, 2006
THE STORY OF ST. NICHOLAS
as told to me in email from an Orthodox friend:
And (St. Nicholas's) hand was outstretched to the needy, on whom
it poured alms richly, as a water-filled river abounds in streams. Here
is one of his many deeds of mercy.
There lived in the town of Patara a certain man, prominent and
rich. Falling into extreme poverty, he lost his former prominence,
because of the uncertain life of this age. This man had three daughters
who were very beautiful in appearance. When he was already deprived of
all necessities, so that there was nothing to eat and nothing to wear
because of his great poverty, he planned to give his daughters to
prostitution and turn his house into a brothel so that by this means he
might obtain a livelihood for himself and acquire also food and clothing
for himself and his daughters. O woe! To such unworthy thoughts does
extreme misery lead! Having this unclean thought this man wanted already
to fulfill his evil design. But the All-good Lord, not desiring to see a
man in perdition and, in His love for mankind, helping in our
misfortunes, placed a good thought in the mind of His servant, the holy
priest Nicholas, and by inspiration sent him secretly to the man who was
perishing in soul, for consolation in poverty and forewarning from sin.
St. Nicholas, having heard of the extreme poverty of this man and
knowing through revelation from God of his evil intention, felt great
pity for him and decided to draw him out, together with his daughters,
from poverty and sin, as from fire. However, he did not wish to show his
good deed to this man openly, but intended to give generous alms
secretly. St. Nicholas did thus for two reasons. On the one hand, he
wanted to escape vain, human glory, following the words of the Gospel:
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men; on the other hand, he did
not want to offend the man who once was rich and now had fallen into
extreme poverty. For he knew how painful and insulting alms are to him
who has fallen into pauperism, because it reminds him of his former
prosperity. Therefore St. Nicholas considered it better to act according
to the teaching of Christ: Let not thy left hand know what thy right
hand doeth. He so much shunned the praise of men that he tried to hide
himself even from him whom he benefited. He took a large sack of gold,
came at midnight to the house of that man and, throwing this sack in the
window, hastened to return home. In the morning this man arose and,
finding the sack, untied it. At the sight of gold, he fell into great
consternation and did not believe his eyes, because from nowhere could
he expect such a favor. However, in examining the money with his
fingers, he was convinced that it was in fact gold before him. Having
rejoiced in spirit and wondering at it, he wept for joy, for a long time
he pondered over who could show him such a favor, and could think of
nothing. Attributing this to the action of divine providence, he
continually thanked his benefactor in his soul, rendering praise to the
Lord Who cares for all. After this he gave his oldest daughter in
marriage, giving her as dowry the gold miraculously given to him. St.
Nicholas, knowing that this man acted according to his wishes, loved him
and decided to do a like mercy also to the second daughter, intending by
a lawful wedding to protect her also from sin. Preparing another sack of
gold like the first one, he by night, hidden from all, by the same
window threw it into the house of man.
Arising in the morning, the poor man again found gold in his
house. Again he was astonished and, falling to the earth and drenching
himself with tears, he said: "O merciful God, Author of our salvation,
Who hast redeemed me by Thine Own Blood and now redeemest by gold my
home and my daughters from the nets of the enemy, do Thou Thyself show
me the minister of Thy mercy and Thy philanthropic goodness. Show me
this earthly angel who preserves us from sinful perdition, so that I
might know who hath snatched us from the poverty which oppresses us and
delivers us from evil thoughts and intentions. O Lord, by Thy mercy
secretly done for me by the generous hand of Thy servant unknown to me,
I can give my second daughter lawfully in marriage and with this escape
the snares of the devil, who desired by a tainted gain, or even without
it, to increase my great ruin."
Having prayed 'thus to the Lord and having thanked Him for His
goodness, this man celebrated the wedding of his second daughter. Hoping
in God, the lather nourished undoubting hope that He would also grant a
lawful husband to the third daughter, again secretly giving by a
beneficent hand the gold necessary for it. In order to learn who brought
gold to him, and whence, the father did not sleep for many nights,
watching/or his benefactor and desiring to see him. Not much time
passed when the awaited benefactor appeared. The servant of Christ,
Nicholas, quietly came also a third time and, having stopped at the
usual place, threw in the same window a similar sack of gold, and
immediately hurried to his home. Hearing the clink of the gold thrown in
the window, the man ran after the servant of God as rapidly as possible.
Having caught up with him and recognizing him, because it was
impossible not to know the saint by his virtues and illustrious origin,
the man fell at his feet, kissing them and calling the saint a
deliverer, a helper, and a savior of souls which came to the edge of ruin.
"If," said he, "the Lord great in mercy had not raised me up
through thy generosity, then I, an unfortunate father, already long ago
would he lost together with my daughters in the fire of Sodom. Now we
are saved through thee and delivered from a horrible fall into sin."
And yet many similar words he tearfully said to the saint. Just
after raising him from the earth, the holy servant of God took from him
an oath that during his life he would tell no one about what had
happened to him. Telling him yet many things to his profit, the saint
dismissed him to his home.
Nicholas of Myra, commemorated 6 December
Troparion (Tone 4)
Your works of justice showed you to your congregation a canon of
faith, the likeness of humility, a teacher of abstinence, O Father,
Bishop Nicholas. Wherefore, by humility you achieved exaltation, and by
meekness, richness. Intercede, therefore, with Christ to save our souls.
