THE LIFE and MIRACLES of the HOLY  HIERARCH NICHOLAS

The most chosen mediator to God, the bishop of Christ, Nicolae, was raised by the parts of Lycia, in the city called Patara, from honest and noble parents, righteous and rich. His father's name was Teofan, and his mother's name was Nona. This blessed pair, spending their time in good faith in pious company and adorning themselves with good habits, for their life pleasing to God and for their many alms and great benefactions, have qualified themselves to bring up this holy offspring - they alone being a holy root—and it became as the psalmist says: Like a tree planted by the fountains of waters, which gave its fruit in its season. So, giving birth to this divine child, he named him Nicolae, which means "conqueror of the people"; and he truly showed himself victorious over evil, thus pleasing God for the common good of the world.

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After that birth, his mother Nona remained barren, until she was freed from the carnal bonds, confessing to nature itself that it is not possible to give birth to another son like that one, so that only this one will be her first and last, who from his mother's womb sanctified himself with the gift of God. For he did not begin life except by honoring God with good piety, nor did he begin to suck at the breast, performing miracles from infancy, nor did he first learn to eat, but to fast. For after his birth, being in the bath, he stood for three hours on his feet, alone by himself, with no one supporting him, giving honor to the Holy Trinity, to Whom he would later be a great servant and chief minister . When he approached his mother's breast, he was known to be a worker of miracles, feeding not according to the custom of other infants - because he only sucked milk from the right breast - having acquired the right state with the righteous.

Then he also began to be a chosen faster, because on Wednesdays and Fridays he only sucked milk from the breast once, and then in the evening, after performing the usual Christian prayer, at which his parents were very surprised and amazed, and they already knew what kind of faster he was Nicolae will be next. That habit of fasting, the Blessed One took him from his diapers and kept him throughout his life, until his happy end, spending Wednesdays and Fridays in fasting. So growing the baby with the years, he grew together with the understanding and with the good habits, which he learned from his good parents; being that a fruitful harvest, which receives in itself the seed of good teaching, which grows and brings new fruits of good deeds every day.

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Arriving at the time of school, he was given to the teaching of the divine Scriptures, and he, with the natural keenness of the mind and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in a short time, reached much wisdom. Then he increased as much in the teaching of the book as was necessary for the good helmsman of Christ's ship and the skillful shepherd of the speaking sheep. Therefore, making himself perfect in the word of teaching, he showed himself perfect also in the work of life; from vain friendships and from useless talk he turned aside altogether, and talking with women or looking with his eyes at a woman's face, he very much shunned himself, for by running away he distanced himself from the party with the women.

Having true wisdom and a pure mind, he always saw God and always lingered in the holy churches, as the prophet says: "I will be rejected in the house of my God." Many times, sometimes a whole day and sometimes a night, spending in the prayers thinking of God and reading the divine books, he learned the spiritual understanding and enriched himself with the divine gifts of the Holy Spirit, with which he prepared himself a worthy place, such as it is written: Ye are the church of God, and the Spirit of God dwelt in you.

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So the improved and pure young man, having the Spirit of God in him, showed himself completely spiritual, burning with the spirit and serving the Lord with fear, so that no kind of youthful temper was seen in him, but only the habits of the old man for which everyone he became wonderful and glorified. For as the old man, if he has the habits of the young, is laughed at by all, so also the young man, if he has the temper of the old man, is honored by all with wonder; for youths are unfit for old age, but fair and beautiful are old ages in youth.

Blessed Nicholas had a bishop uncle with the same name as him. His uncle, seeing the nephew increasing in life with good deeds and completely alienating himself from the world, advised his parents to give him to serve God. And they did not refuse to give their son to the Lord, whom they received as a gift from him. Because he writes in the old books for them, as being barren and despairing of having any more children, with many prayers, with tears and with many alms they asked God for this son; and they gave him as a gift to Him who gave him.

The bishop receiving the young old man, who had the wisdom of gray hair and the purest life, he raised him to the holy steps of the priesthood, and when he was ordained, the bishop turning to the people who were in the church and being filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesied saying: "Behold, brethren, I see a new sun rising to the ends of the earth, showing itself to the sorrowful as a merciful consolation. A! happy is the flock that will be worthy to have this shepherd! For this one will feed well the souls of those who have gone astray and will bring them to the pasture of good faith; then he will show himself as a hot helper to those in need". This prophecy was later fulfilled, as we will show in the history we will make.

 

Therefore, Saint Nicholas receiving the step of the priesthood, added toil to toil, spending time in fasting and incessant prayers, and with his mortal body striving to follow those without bodies. Thus, living exactly like the angels, day by day he flourished more with his spiritual beauty and showed himself worthy of the leadership of the Church.

At that time his uncle, Bishop Nicolae, wanting to go to Palestine to worship the holy places there, entrusted all the management of the church to his nephew. So this one, fulfilling the place of that one, had all the care for the order of the churches, like the bishop his uncle. At that time, the parents of the blessed one, leaving this temporal life, moved to the eternal one, and St. Nicholas, remaining the heir of their wealth, distributed it to the poor. Because he did not look at the wealth that flowed along, nor did he care for its multiplication; but, renouncing all worldly desires, he strove with all his might to unite with God, to whom he said: "To you, Lord, I lift up my soul; teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; to You I am thrown from my mother's womb, You are my God". So his hand was stretched out to the poor, like a river of abundant water that flows abundantly.

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So that his many almsgiving's may be more easily known, let us show one, namely: There was a man in that city, among the famous and rich, who later remained poor and dishonored, because the life of this age is unstable. That man had three very beautiful daughters, and now, being destitute of all necessaries, he had neither food, nor clothing, and thought to give his daughters to whoredom, and to make his house an unclean house, for his great poverty , so that only in this way he could be of some use and earn for himself and his girls clothing and food. Alas, into what unrighteous thoughts great poverty drives a man! So that old man being in such evil thoughts and his evil thought now wanting to bring it into action with villainy, God Who does not want to see human nature in perdition, but with love for people, bends to our needs, put kindness in the heart of His beloved Saint Nicholas and sent him for help to the man who was about to perish with his soul, through mysterious inspiration, comforting the one who was in poverty and saving him from the fall of sin. 

So, Saint Nicholas hearing about the great need of that man and through divine revelation becoming aware of his evil thinking, he felt very sorry for him and thought that thus with his good-doing hand, to kidnap him together with his daughters as of fire from poverty and sin. But he did not want to be present with that man, to tell him about his good deeds, but, in secret, he thought to give him his alms with mercy. And he wants to do this for two reasons: first, to escape from human glory, because he took into account what the Gospel said: "Take care not to give your alms before men"; and, secondly, like that man, who was once rich, but now had fallen into great poverty, not to shame him, for he knew that things like these are hard for those who from wealth and glory fall into poverty, because the souls of those are ashamed, reminding them of their former wealth. For this, he thought to do so, according to the words of Christ: "Let not your left know what your right is doing." For so much did he flee from human glory, that even from the one whom he did good he was careful to hide himself.

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So, taking a large bundle of yellows, he went at midnight to that man's house, and throwing it in at the window of that house, he quickly returned to his house. In the morning, when the man got up and found out the bond, he untied it and seeing the gold he was afraid, because he thought it was some illusion, fearing that the gold he saw might be some kind of deception, since he did not expect from anyone and out of nowhere some doer of good. Therefore, turning the yolks with the tip of his finger, he looked inside and knowing that it was true, he rejoiced and marveled, and for joy, he wept with hot tears and, thinking a lot to himself who would have done him such a good deed , not the name. Therefore, considering it to be God's caring behavior, he thanked him unceasingly, giving praise to the Lord who cares for all. Then immediately one of his daughters, the eldest, he married to a man and gave her the gold he had received for her dowry.

The wonderful Nicolae being informed about this, that he had done according to his will, that man, it seemed good to him. And again he showed himself ready to show the same mercy to the old man's second daughter, trying to protect this virgin through the legalized wedding from the lawless sin. So he prepared another bunch of yellow flowers, like the other one, and during the night, avoiding everyone, he threw it out of the same window, in the old man's house.

In the morning, when that poor man got up, he found gold again, just like the first time. Then he began to marvel at that one as well, and, falling on his face to the ground, with hot tears he gave thanks, saying: "God, the will of mercy and the ruler of our salvation, who first redeemed me with Your Blood and now my house and the my daughters redeeming us with gold from the race of the evil one, show me yourself the one who serves your merciful will and your goodness that loves people. Show me your earthly angel, the one who guards us from the loss of sin, so that I may know who is like that, who brings us out of the poverty that saddens us and who delivers us from evil thoughts, for behold , according to Your mercy, Lord, with the mercy made in secret, with the hand of Your pleasure, I will also give my second daughter in lawful marriage to a man and thus I will escape the devil's races, who wants to bring me by unclean gain great loss".

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Then that man, praying to the Lord and thanking His goodness, married his second daughter as well, having hope in God - because he put his unwavering hope in Him - as if He would also take care of his third daughter and he will give her also to have a lifelong lover, according to the law, sending her again plenty of gold, also with that good-doing hand. That is why he did not sleep at night watching, so that he could feel the doer of good and deign to see where he brings him that gold. And here, not long after, the expected one arrived. For the third time the beloved of Christ, Nicolae, came and, arriving at the usual place, he also threw a bunch of yellow flowers out of the same window and immediately returned to his house. The father of the maidens, finding the gold thrown out of the window, ran as fast as he could after him who was returning to his house, whom, reaching him and knowing who he was - for the saint was not unknown for his good deed and for his race the enlightened one - fell at his feet, kissing them and calling him savior, helper and savior of souls, those who had reached the ultimate loss. Then he said: "If the great Lord had not lifted me up in mercy, through your mercies, I, the wretched father, would have perished long ago, together with my daughters, by falling into the fire of Sodom, woe is me! And behold, now through you we are saved from the bitter fall into sin”.These and more he spoke with tears to the saint. And he barely raised him to his feet and with an oath told him that in his whole life he should not tell anyone what had been done. Then the saint, saying many things for the benefit of that man, sent him to his house.

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Here is one of the many acts of mercy of Saint Nicholas, which has been told here, so that everyone can know how merciful he was to the poor. If his mercies were told one by one and how many mercies he showed to the poor, how many hungry he fed, how many naked he clothed and how many he redeemed from debtors, then not even time would be enough to tell them