May: Day 9: Teaching 2: Translation of the Honorable Relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

May: Day 9: Teaching 2:
Translation of the Honorable Relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
 
(On Mercy Toward the Poor)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. From the great host of God’s holy servants glorified by the Church, Saint Nicholas enjoys a special love among the Russian people. Many churches have been built in his honor throughout Holy Rus’; his memory is celebrated twice a year, on December 6 and May 9, and besides this, throughout the year, together with the apostles, he is commemorated in the church services every Thursday. His very name is dear to the Orthodox Russian people and therefore is often found in Christian families — not only in the humble hut, but even upon the royal throne. Which of his many virtues attracts Orthodox Christians to him? Knowing that we turn to God and His saints for help in our spiritual and bodily needs, and especially often direct our prayers to those saints who showed many works of mercy toward the suffering, we must acknowledge that the outstanding virtue of Saint Nicholas was “his mercy toward the needy.” The Holy Church, in her hymns, glorifies him as the feeder of the hungry, the excellent guide of those storm-tossed at sea, and the swift helper of all who are in troubles and sorrows. And indeed, the whole life of Saint Nicholas presents an unbroken series of benefactions rendered by him to suffering humanity. But not only during his life — even after death he did not cease to do good to those who turn to him with prayers. His very tomb became a source of healings for those suffering in soul and body. The many wonderworking icons of him found in different places throughout our vast homeland are nothing other than visible and indestructible memorials of his mercy toward the Christian race. In this respect Saint Nicholas appears as the good and faithful servant of our Lord, fulfilling one of the chief commandments of the Master and Lord concerning mercy toward one’s neighbors.

II. Since in His very essence the Lord God is love, which continually expresses itself in works of mercy toward creatures in general and especially toward suffering mankind, He commanded this love and mercy to all people as the chief law of their life and the foundation of their temporal and eternal well-being.

a) So that man might always have an incentive to fulfill this law, the Lord God arranged human nature in such a way that only through mutual services flowing from love and mercy toward one another can people establish their well-being upon the earth. The limitations of human nature, of its spiritual and bodily powers, and the needs and deficiencies of life arising from this, ought to incline people toward mutual help, mercy, and love throughout all of life.

Indeed, man is born into the world such a weak creature that without outside help he would immediately lose his life. This help is given to him first of all by his parents, who are moved both by compassion toward weakness in general and by the natural feeling of love for their child. As the infant grows and passes into childhood and youth, his needs increase; to the former concerns for bodily necessities — food, clothing, and shelter — are added concerns for spiritual needs, for upbringing and education. The satisfying of these requires even greater help from others, in order to prepare the inexperienced youth for life, to give him the opportunity to obtain honestly the means of existence, and to order his life according to the will of God concerning man. In the years of maturity, when a person is called to varied activity in different walks of life, sympathy and help from others become still more necessary both for success in work and for the satisfying of personal spiritual and bodily needs. The attainment of old age, accompanied by the decline of strength and various infirmities, requires the same outside assistance as man’s earliest age. Thus it becomes evident that the wisdom of God, in the arrangement of human nature and in the limitation of its powers and abilities, laid a deep foundation for mutual help and love among people.

b) The word of God teaches the same thing. The Evangelist John, at the conclusion of his Gospel, says that far from everything from the teaching of Jesus Christ was written down; yet even in this little that is recorded there are many direct and clear instructions concerning feelings of love and mercy as the fundamental law of human life. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, and your neighbor as yourself,” said Jesus Christ. Mutual love among people He made the distinguishing mark of His first followers: “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” And this love must extend not only to friends but also to enemies, according to the example of the Creator Himself, Who makes His sun rise upon the evil and the good and sends rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous. “Be merciful, as your Heavenly Father is merciful,” commanded the Son of God to His followers, and therefore also to us, who bear His name by being called Christians.

c) The first and nearest fulfillers — not only in time but in deed itself — of God’s commandment concerning love and mercy toward neighbor were the holy apostles. Sending them out to preach, the Lord Jesus Christ indicated to them both the place and subject of their preaching, and at the same time made it their duty to accompany the proclamation of the gospel with works of love and mercy. “Heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; freely you have received, freely give.” As the foundation for these works of philanthropy toward the needy, the holy apostles sought to establish in people’s hearts a feeling of love toward neighbor.

“Little children, love one another,” the Evangelist John constantly repeated, and when believers asked him why he repeated the same thing over and over, he answered that this is the chief commandment of the Lord; it is enough even to fulfill this one commandment alone, and he placed it in close connection with the commandment concerning love for God and considered it the expression of the latter.

d) After the apostles, the successors of their ministry — the shepherds and bishops of the Church — became the same fulfillers of Christ’s commandment concerning love and mercy toward neighbor. Standing at the head of Christian society, they sought to satisfy not only the spiritual but also the bodily needs of their flock. The care of all the poor of the parish rested upon the leaders of the Church. Such was the general order of the ancient Christian Church, giving bishops the opportunity to carry on charitable work broadly and to show their personal feelings of love and mercy toward the needy. Among the many other leaders of the ancient Church, Saint Nicholas especially appears as a zealous benefactor. Works of Christian mercy were, so to speak, his calling, which manifested itself in him from his earliest years. Thus he distributed to the poor the inheritance he received after the death of his parents. And when he was appointed Bishop of Myra in Lycia, he used both church property and his own possessions for works of mercy and philanthropy. By one such deed he saved an entire family from shame and lawlessness. Moreover, he did not wait for the needy to come to him asking for help, but himself sought them out and tried to render assistance secretly. For this the Lord deemed His faithful servant worthy of such glory as falls to the lot of very few. To Saint Nicholas all who are in need turn with prayers for help — not only Christians but even pagans. So great is the glory of his mercy among men, and undoubtedly even greater before the Lord God, Who glorified His servant through the incorruption of his relics, the gift of wonderworking, and gracious healings from his holy icons and the prayerful invocation of his name.

III. Celebrating the feast in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker and glorifying his virtue of mercy toward the suffering, let us also, brethren, strive to cultivate in our hearts feelings of love and compassion toward our afflicted brothers. Our own nature with its weaknesses urges us to this; the Lord God requires this of us; and today’s glorified servant of God instructs us in this by his own life. Imitating him in works of philanthropy out of love for neighbor will be the best praise we can offer him.

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.