By Fr. George Dorbarakis
Saint Papa-Nicholas Planas is the confirmation of what the Apostle Paul says: “God chose the poor things of the world and the despised, in order to put to shame the strong.” He was thus an instrument of God, through whose simplicity the wisdom of God was richly poured out into the world. He possessed none of the remarkable natural gifts which, many times — if their possessor is not careful — can act as temptations and become an obstacle to the vision of God.
His absolute gift was his simplicity, which meant the manifestation of his humility, and therefore the presence of God’s grace within him. “God gives grace to the humble,” says the word of God, and this humility was possessed by the well-known and beloved Papa-Nicholas. In other words, standing before Saint Nicholas is like standing before God Himself and breathing His atmosphere. The whole course of his life was an astonishing transparency of heaven.
The Service of this newer saint of our Church first of all touches upon this very truth:
“O paradoxical wonder! God chose the foolish things of the world and by them shamed the pride of the wise.”
“O, the marvels of Your wonders, O Christ! You deemed worthy, by Your good pleasure and grace, that the weak things of the world should become stronger than the mighty and should fly from earth to heaven” (Vespers stichera).
We must note, however, that a person’s simplicity does not necessarily turn him toward God and the acquisition of divine gifts. There are, unfortunately, simple people — in the sense of being naïve — who for that very reason are easily led into wickedness and into a strange kind of pride. This means that Saint Nicholas bound his own guilelessness to his love for God, so that, in the way we have said, the wisdom of God might be manifested. Nothing earthly attracted or charmed him. His heart beat only for his Savior Christ, and this “from childhood.”
“The world did not draw you, nor did it make you its friend; but you gave your heart to your Savior” (Vespers sticheron).
For this reason, just as in former times people called Saint Anthony “beloved by God,” so everyone called Papa-Nicholas “truly a man of God,” with all the gifts that such a man bears: freedom from avarice, love and mercy, and a sanctified priesthood.
“Thus spoke the word of those who knew you, Father Nicholas: Come, see a man truly of God, a genuine servant of Him, a sanctified minister of His grace, simple in manner and without love of money, loving Christ and serving Him through almsgivings and acts of compassion toward the poor” (Doxastikon at Vespers).
The blessed Hymnographer of Saint Nicholas Planas, Metropolitan Nikodemos Vallindras of Patras, takes occasion from his name both to emphasize his particular love for his namesake saint — “Rejoice, you who were filled with divine zeal and emulated your namesake Nicholas, the rule of faith, the torch of temperance, and the image of meekness” — and also from his surname “Planas” to make beautiful associations concerning his sanctified life. In one idiomelon of the Lity, for example, we read:
“With hymns let us honor the sanctified Nicholas, Planas by name, yet aplanas in faith.”*
And in the Apolytikion:
“Having escaped the snares of the planou,** O most holy one, you walked your life aplanos,*** our father, Nicholas the renowned Planas.”
The talented and blessed Metropolitan also does not leave unmentioned the fact that Saint Papa-Nicholas came from the island of Naxos, that he was slow of speech, that he was an outstanding celebrant of the Most High, and that he was connected with great figures of Greek letters. How could he omit his origin, when from the same island of Naxos came another great star of the Orthodox Church, Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite? For the Hymnographer, the land of the Naxians has a double reason to boast, while the later Nicholas was sanctified because he desired to follow the same narrow path as his earlier compatriot Nikodemos.
“The land of the Naxians has now acquired as an inexhaustible treasure a double name: Nikodemos and Nicholas” (Ode 1).
“Seeing Nikodemos the great, the renowned Athonite and illustrious fellow citizen saint, Nicholas of Naxos was established in the same narrow path unto sanctification” (Ode 1).
His slowness of speech also is compared to that of the Prophet Moses, who had his brother Aaron as helper. And just as Moses was able to accomplish his guiding work despite his difficulty, so too Saint Nicholas Planas guided many in the faith, having as his helper not a man, but the Paraclete Himself, the Holy Spirit.
“Uttering imperfect speech, the all-blessed Nicholas, resembling Moses of old who was slow of tongue, did not fail in enlightening many to know the Lord” (Ode 4).
“Aaron became the supporter of Moses, and the Paraclete came as helper to Nicholas” (Ode 4).
Where the holiness of Papa-Nicholas was most clearly revealed was in the liturgical sphere. The Saint was an incomparable celebrant of the Most High, not because he had a beautiful voice or delivered fine sermons, nothing of the sort, but because he served with the perception of the soul, “bringing heaven down to earth.” Children in particular, and those who had a childlike heart, saw him celebrating together with the angels and rising above the ground.
“Like a most radiant lamp, by reason of your divine glory, you shone before the eyes of children, Father; and when you celebrated with the radiant angels, you were seen not to tread upon the earth” (Ode 5).
He was like Saint Spyridon, who though simple as a man, “had angels concelebrating with him.” It is therefore no accident that the truly distinguished men of his time — the great Alexandros Papadiamantis and Alexandros Moraitidis, as well as many others — preferred him as celebrant at the various services; they chiefly felt him to be an initiate of the ineffable and invisible mysteries, and they would come to assist him at the chanter’s stand. The Hymnographer, somewhat discreetly it is true, refers to his relationship — without his seeking it — with these literary figures. The learned were captivated by the unlearned — not because of his lack of education, but because of the abundance of God’s grace living richly in his heart.
“You had worthy collaborators, singing and chanting to the Lord in their hearts. Their names are well known among lovers of letters, but to God they are written in the book of life” (Lity).
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Notes:
* "Aplanas" is a Greek word which means "without error," or "without deception."
** "Planou" is the Greek word for "deceiver."
*** "Aplanos" is a Greek word which means "without error," or "without deception."
His absolute gift was his simplicity, which meant the manifestation of his humility, and therefore the presence of God’s grace within him. “God gives grace to the humble,” says the word of God, and this humility was possessed by the well-known and beloved Papa-Nicholas. In other words, standing before Saint Nicholas is like standing before God Himself and breathing His atmosphere. The whole course of his life was an astonishing transparency of heaven.
The Service of this newer saint of our Church first of all touches upon this very truth:
“O paradoxical wonder! God chose the foolish things of the world and by them shamed the pride of the wise.”
“O, the marvels of Your wonders, O Christ! You deemed worthy, by Your good pleasure and grace, that the weak things of the world should become stronger than the mighty and should fly from earth to heaven” (Vespers stichera).
We must note, however, that a person’s simplicity does not necessarily turn him toward God and the acquisition of divine gifts. There are, unfortunately, simple people — in the sense of being naïve — who for that very reason are easily led into wickedness and into a strange kind of pride. This means that Saint Nicholas bound his own guilelessness to his love for God, so that, in the way we have said, the wisdom of God might be manifested. Nothing earthly attracted or charmed him. His heart beat only for his Savior Christ, and this “from childhood.”
“The world did not draw you, nor did it make you its friend; but you gave your heart to your Savior” (Vespers sticheron).
For this reason, just as in former times people called Saint Anthony “beloved by God,” so everyone called Papa-Nicholas “truly a man of God,” with all the gifts that such a man bears: freedom from avarice, love and mercy, and a sanctified priesthood.
“Thus spoke the word of those who knew you, Father Nicholas: Come, see a man truly of God, a genuine servant of Him, a sanctified minister of His grace, simple in manner and without love of money, loving Christ and serving Him through almsgivings and acts of compassion toward the poor” (Doxastikon at Vespers).
The blessed Hymnographer of Saint Nicholas Planas, Metropolitan Nikodemos Vallindras of Patras, takes occasion from his name both to emphasize his particular love for his namesake saint — “Rejoice, you who were filled with divine zeal and emulated your namesake Nicholas, the rule of faith, the torch of temperance, and the image of meekness” — and also from his surname “Planas” to make beautiful associations concerning his sanctified life. In one idiomelon of the Lity, for example, we read:
“With hymns let us honor the sanctified Nicholas, Planas by name, yet aplanas in faith.”*
And in the Apolytikion:
“Having escaped the snares of the planou,** O most holy one, you walked your life aplanos,*** our father, Nicholas the renowned Planas.”
The talented and blessed Metropolitan also does not leave unmentioned the fact that Saint Papa-Nicholas came from the island of Naxos, that he was slow of speech, that he was an outstanding celebrant of the Most High, and that he was connected with great figures of Greek letters. How could he omit his origin, when from the same island of Naxos came another great star of the Orthodox Church, Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite? For the Hymnographer, the land of the Naxians has a double reason to boast, while the later Nicholas was sanctified because he desired to follow the same narrow path as his earlier compatriot Nikodemos.
“The land of the Naxians has now acquired as an inexhaustible treasure a double name: Nikodemos and Nicholas” (Ode 1).
“Seeing Nikodemos the great, the renowned Athonite and illustrious fellow citizen saint, Nicholas of Naxos was established in the same narrow path unto sanctification” (Ode 1).
His slowness of speech also is compared to that of the Prophet Moses, who had his brother Aaron as helper. And just as Moses was able to accomplish his guiding work despite his difficulty, so too Saint Nicholas Planas guided many in the faith, having as his helper not a man, but the Paraclete Himself, the Holy Spirit.
“Uttering imperfect speech, the all-blessed Nicholas, resembling Moses of old who was slow of tongue, did not fail in enlightening many to know the Lord” (Ode 4).
“Aaron became the supporter of Moses, and the Paraclete came as helper to Nicholas” (Ode 4).
Where the holiness of Papa-Nicholas was most clearly revealed was in the liturgical sphere. The Saint was an incomparable celebrant of the Most High, not because he had a beautiful voice or delivered fine sermons, nothing of the sort, but because he served with the perception of the soul, “bringing heaven down to earth.” Children in particular, and those who had a childlike heart, saw him celebrating together with the angels and rising above the ground.
“Like a most radiant lamp, by reason of your divine glory, you shone before the eyes of children, Father; and when you celebrated with the radiant angels, you were seen not to tread upon the earth” (Ode 5).
He was like Saint Spyridon, who though simple as a man, “had angels concelebrating with him.” It is therefore no accident that the truly distinguished men of his time — the great Alexandros Papadiamantis and Alexandros Moraitidis, as well as many others — preferred him as celebrant at the various services; they chiefly felt him to be an initiate of the ineffable and invisible mysteries, and they would come to assist him at the chanter’s stand. The Hymnographer, somewhat discreetly it is true, refers to his relationship — without his seeking it — with these literary figures. The learned were captivated by the unlearned — not because of his lack of education, but because of the abundance of God’s grace living richly in his heart.
“You had worthy collaborators, singing and chanting to the Lord in their hearts. Their names are well known among lovers of letters, but to God they are written in the book of life” (Lity).
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Notes:
* "Aplanas" is a Greek word which means "without error," or "without deception."
** "Planou" is the Greek word for "deceiver."
*** "Aplanos" is a Greek word which means "without error," or "without deception."