St Nicholas – Dec 6 I Bishop of Myre (Modern Day Santa Claus) I Mar Soke of Moora

St. Nicholas is one of the most widely venerated and best loved among saints in all Christendom. The honour extended to him includes not only the Orthodox and Roman Catholics, but Protestant denominations as well. St Nicholas preserved true chastity, with a pure mind always contemplating on the Lord and assiduously visiting the temple of God. St Nicholas added labours to labours; keeping vigil and remaining in unceasing prayer and fasting, he, being mortal, strove to imitate the bodiless ones. His hand was outstretched to the poor, on whom it poured alms richly, as a water-filled river abounds in streams.

St Nicholas was born in 280 A.D. in Patara, a city of Lycia, in Asia Minor to pious Christian parents Theophanes and Nonna, as their only son. The birth was a fruit of the prayer of his childless parents and they vowed to dedicate him to God, was given the name Nicholas, which means conqueror of nations. Immediately after giving birth his mother Nonna, was immediately healed from illness, thus the infant Nicholas from the very day of his birth foreshown the light of his future glory as a wonderworker. In the baptismal font, it is said he stood on his feet for three hours, supported by no one, by this rendering honour to the Holy Trinity, of Whom he later would show himself to be a great servitor and intercessor. His loved virtue and had a zeal for observing the canons of the Church, from his infancy. He spent many hours, day and night in Church, praying and reading Holy Scriptures and other books.  He was brought up in abstinence of his mother’s breast every Wednesday and Friday until the evening, which he continued all his life.  

Growing with the years, the youth grew also in knowledge, perfecting himself in the virtues, in which his pious parents – Epiphanes and his mother Johanne, taught him. St Nicholas learned the divine Scriptures, by the force and acuteness of his mind and the help of the Holy Spirit. From his very early youth he had an inclination to solitude and silence. History resounds that not a single written or spoken word of the Saint has come down to us. In a little time attained much wisdom and successes in book learning, such as befits a good pilot of Christ’s ship and a skilful shepherd of rational sheep. St Nicholas rejoiced at the spiritual success and deep piety of his nephew, ordained him as a reader through the laying on of hands by his uncle Bishop Nicholas of Patara and later raised him to the rank of priest, as well as his assistant.

After his visit to Palestine, St Nicholas came back to his fatherland. He came to the monastery founded by his uncle and called Holy Sion. Here St Nicholas realised that the Lord needed him to forsake the life of silence and go into the service of people for their salvation. At that time the bishop of this city, John, the archbishop and foremost hierarch of the entire land of Lycia, died. The bishops of Lycia gathered to elect a successor. Those assembled devoted themselves to prayer and fasting. The oldest present, received revelation of God’s will. A man in an image of light told him to go to the doors of the Church during the night and observe who will enter before everyone else. ‘This”, he said, “is my choice; receive him with honour and install him as archbishop; the name of this man is Nicholas“.

The holy hierarch lived out of the word of Scripture: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father Who is in heaven“. His face would shine with light as Moses’ did aforetime, and his mere presence among people would bring solace, peace and goodwill. He was indeed “an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith and in purity”. His clothing was simple, his food fasting fare – he ate once each day in the evenings. He ruled diligently and wisely, being in his person a father to orphans, a merciful giver to the poor, a comforter to the mourning, a helper to the wronged, indeed a great benefactor to all.

St Nicholas was also among the 318 fathers in the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and in his zeal stood courageously against the teachings of Arius. Together with the holy fathers of the council he affirmed and taught all the dogmas of the Orthodox faith. He became known as a champion of justice after having twice saved men from undeserved sentences of death, and after having delivered people from slavery by providing the necessary payments for their deliverance. His name is a synonym for unselfish giving. This wonderful saint was a defender of the truth of God, and was ever a spirited champion of justice among the people.

He was a rich person, having obtained his parents’ inheritance, St Nicholas distributed it to the needy, for he paid no attention to temporal riches. His door was open all day as he made himself available for the needs of the people. He travelled the country helping people, giving gifts of money and other presents. St Nicholas did not like to be seen when he gave away presents, so the children of the day were told to go to sleep quickly or he would not come! Nothing has changed and Santa Claus will not arrive this Christmas unless the children go to sleep early.

His miracles are known to all the ends of the earth. He continued his good works and became even wiser and more understanding by the time of his death. He fell asleep in the Lord on December 6th, 343 A. D. and is commemorated in the Church on that day. By 450, churches in Asia Minor and Greece were being named in honor of him. By 800, he was officially recognized as the saint by the Eastern Catholic Church. By end of the 1400s, St Nicholas was the third most beloved religious figure, after Jesus and Mary. There are more than 2000 chapels and monasteries named after him. In the 1200s, December sixth began to be celebrated as Bishop Nicholas Day in France. By end of the 1400s, St Nicholas was the third most beloved religious figure, after Jesus and Mary. There are more than 2000 chapels and monasteries named after him.

In 1087 Italian sailors or merchants stole Nicholas’s alleged remains from Myra and took them to Bari, Italy; this removal greatly increased the saint’s popularity in Europe and Bari became one of the most crowded of all pilgrimage centers. Nicholas’ relics remain enshrined in the 11th-century basilica of San Nicola in Bari. As a sign of God’s grace, a fragrant substance called “myrrh” comes from the relics of St. Nicholas and many sick people anoint themselves with it and receive healing. There is an Orthodox Church in Bari, whose priest frequently celebrates services before the relics, asking St. Nicholas to pray for us before the throne of God.

On Dec 6, we commemorate a saint- worthy of magnificent honor, the patron saint of children and who put Jesus Christ at the center of his life, his ministry, his entire existence. Unfortunately, the image and name of this venerable man of God- St. Nicholas of Myra, has been made a mockery by media and business empires, by distorting him, to a funny, jolly old man Santa Claus. Orthodox children are fortunate to know the whole story of St. Nicholas, and not just one small part of it. We should try to tell our non-Orthodox friends and neighbors the truth about “Santa Claus” so that they too, can realize how important and wonderful it is to follow Christ!

St Gregorios of Parumala following a blessed pilgrimage to the Holy Land, brought the holy relics of St. Nicholas of Myra and handed over to Konat Mathen Malpan, which placed at the Pallythazham Cross Tower at the roadside on the western side of the Church, Cross Tower of the St. John’s Orthodox Church (Valiyapally), Pampakuda on 3 January 1904.

You, O Holy One, have exercised your sacred ministry in Myra; and, in fulfillment of Christ’s Gospel, you dedicated your life, O Venerable One, to your people and saved the innocent people from death. Thus, you have been sanctified as a great Servant of divine grace.