A person whom everyone recognizes, appreciates, speaks of and yet nobody – or almost nobody – really knows who he was. St. Nicholas of Bari is the famous saint who distributes Christmas gifts and, curiously, few are aware of his story and the reasons for his fame throughout the world.
A possibly exaggerated biography…
According to rough calculations, Nicholas came into the world in the year 280. An only child, he was born to a wealthy Catholic family in the city of Patara, in Lycia, Asia Minor.
His most renowned biographer was St. John Damascene. However, if we read his words before knowing the life of our saint, they may strike us as poetic, but somewhat detached from reality and exaggerated, the fruit of unreflective enthusiasm:
“Neither the multitude of waves, nor the currents of rivers will equal the number of your miracles.” Could this be pure exaggeration?
“Neither the sand of the seashore, nor the multitude of waves, nor the drops of dew, nor the soft snowflakes, nor the chorus of stars, nor the drops of rain or the currents of rivers and the murmur of fountains will ever equal, O father, the number of your miracles.”1
But even though one biography could never contain such a multiplicity of miracles, those that are in fact described in it are impressive, and with a repercussion that has already endured a sixteen-century time span! And not only is the number of the wonders performed astonishing, but also their magnitude.
Could it be all nothing more than an exaggeration?2
Generous gifts from an unknown donor
The story goes that one day Nicholas heard the sad story of an impoverished man who, desperate because he did not have the dowry needed to marry off his three daughters, was planning to give them up to a life of dissolution. After much thought, Nicholas filled a large purse with gold coins from his own estate and waited for night to come.
When faces could no longer be distinguished in the streets, he went to the family home, and found one of the windows providentially open. Without making a sound or causing any suspicion, he tossed the considerable sum into the house and returned to where he lived, on the other side of town.
The next day, astonishment! Who had left that bag? It contained enough money for the father to arrange a marriage for one of his daughters.
Hiding in the darkness of the following night, Nicholas set off for the second time in the direction of the same house. Seeking complete discretion, he once again found the window wide open, and left another purse full of gold coins. Early in the morning, the father could be seen feverishly counting the “dowry” he had received and giving thanks to God. Filled with surprise and joy, he was fairly bursting to know: who was sponsoring his daughters’ marriages in this way?
Nicholas took the same amount on the third night, once again under cover of the shadows so as to avoid being identified. However, this time the poor father had planned an ambush that would reveal the author of such favours. As he approached the house, even before he reached the window, Nicholas was surprised by the man who, with indescribable joy, leapt forward to hug him and thank him effusively.
Recovering from his fright, Nicholas demanded absolute secrecy. The old father promised him peremptorily that it would be so. But the next day, the whole town knew about the saint’s deed, to the admiration of all.
Patron Saint of sailors and navigators
The man who received bags of gold coins through his window was by no means the one who most benefited from St. Nicholas, but rather it was the Church, who received the saint himself through the sacred doors of the priesthood.
“This dignity gave new lustre to Nicholas’ holiness, and the priesthood, finding such a pure instrument and such a Christian soul, transmitted to him a new brilliance of virtue and added new vigour to his zeal.”3
Although he wanted to give himself unreservedly to God, Fr. Nicholas feared nothing more than the episcopate. When his uncle, the Bishop of Myra, died, he feared being elevated to this dignity, having previously given valuable assistance in the government of the diocese. In this context, he arranged to travel to Palestine.
As he boarded the ship, he told the captain that there would be a violent storm during the voyage. Smiling and disregarding the warning, the latter wondered what knowledge that cleric could have of the things of the sea…
The proof of his words, however, soon arrived. Huge waves, strong winds and a storm that heralded the end: the boat was about to founder. Remembering Fr. Nicholas’ prediction, the captain related it to the crew. They ran to the saint, who, with composure, prayed to Heaven to stop the storm. Then the sea was calmed, the black clouds dispersed and serenity returned to hearts, once again awakening grateful awe in everyone.
Bishop Nicholas
Seeking refuge in monastic life, in the seclusion of the hermitages and in the austerity of the most admirable spiritual exercises, Fr. Nicholas discovered by divine revelation that he must return to Myra, where Bishop John, his uncle’s successor, had just died.
More than the material aid given to those in need, St. Nicholas most benefited the Holy Church by entering the doors of the priesthood
The choice of a new bishop was proving difficult, as no agreement could be reached. At a certain point, one of the members of the assembly stood up. Taking the floor, he announced by divine inspiration that the Lord wanted as Bishop of Myra the holy man who would first enter the church to pray the next day. In fact, God had already chosen the prelate He wanted…
The following morning, unaware of everything, Fr. Nicholas left the monastery, which he rarely did, and entered the church to pray. All the people rejoiced to see their new bishop! Although he tried to excuse himself, it was impossible. Amid the clamorous joy of both faithful and clergy, he was consecrated Bishop of the Holy Church.
Compassion for a mother’s sorrow
The people who had accompanied him to his episcopal ordination had not yet dispersed when a woman came forward from the crowd with a little child in her arms and begged Bishop Nicholas for his help.
She showed him her son, whose body was a single large wound, for he had been pulled out of a fire. The burns were shocking, and had already proved fatal. Disconsolate, the poor mother cried: “Give life to my little son! He fell into the fire and did not survive the horrible burns… He is dead! Look at my poor little child, entirely burned and lifeless… Have pity on me! Give him life!”
Moved with compassion at the sorrow of a mother who had witnessed her own little child’s death, Bishop Nicholas stood up and made the sign of the cross over the boy’s body. Then and there, in the presence of the whole crowd and the prelates, he was resurrected!
There was no denying it, for everyone saw it; it was no exaggeration…
The wonderworker of his age
When the persecution was renewed by Emperor Licinius, Bishop Nicholas suffered its grave consequences, enduring exile, chains, flogging and other torments. In this way, he showed that a holy bishop is never more courageous and valiant than when it comes to fighting for Religion, because his desire for martyrdom led him to despise the orders of the officials.
When Constantine defeated Licinius, Nicholas returned to Myra, which caused quite a stir and led to countless conversions. The number of miracles he worked from then on is incalculable, which caused him to be considered the wonderworker of his age.
Nicholas became one of the Church’s most famous saints due to the number of miracles and wonders worked through his intercession
It is said, for example, that St. Nicholas resurrected two young students murdered in Myra and that, on another occasion, three beheaded children whose bodies had been hidden in a vat were brought back to life at the saint’s command.
Another story tells how three officials from Constantinople had been unjustly condemned to capital punishment and were saved because they invoked the help of Bishop Nicholas, whom they had met during a recent visit to Myra.
On the eve of the execution, the holy prelate, who was still alive, appeared in a dream to the prime minister and Emperor Constantine, threatening them with divine wrath for the crime they would commit by executing three innocent people. When the next morning they exchanged accounts about the dream each had had, both were deeply impressed and the emperor decided to give the officers back their freedom and, with it, their lives.
In recognition for this intervention, Constantine sent the Bishop of Myra, through the three men he had saved from death, a copy of the Gospel written in gold letters, a chalice adorned with precious stones and two golden cruets.
Knowing the final day and hour
Knowing the day and hour of one’s death could be a source of despair for many, while it might be relief for others. Some would consider it a privilege, others a punishment. Above all, it would be extremely dangerous for those who do not love God, owing to the evident danger of leaving repentance for sins, the practice of virtue and conversion for the last minute… No one questions, however, that the idea of being able to note the last day of one’s own life in the diary is a little disconcerting for everyone. Or for almost everyone…
About the death of St. Nicholas, the following is told: “The Lord then wanted to reward the faithful servant for all his labours, and made known to him the day and hour of his death. This revelation filled him with a joy little known to men.”4
As the appointed day approached, after saying goodbye to the faithful, the holy bishop retired to a monastery. There, after a short illness, he received the last Sacraments and surrendered his soul to God.
There are differences of opinion as to the year of this event. Some say it took place in 327, or others claim that St. Nicholas lived until around the year 350. The only thing that is certain is that he crossed the threshold of eternity on December 6.
Miracles multiply after his death
Everything seemed to be over. The saint’s body was lying in the grave and many were mourning his death when a liquid began to flow from his tomb that had the power to cure illnesses. Nicholas continued to perform miracles even after his death…
When the Turks invaded and pillaged Syria, his body was transferred to Bari, in Puglia, Italy, where Nicholas gained many devotees and became one of the Church’s most famous saints due to the number of miracles and wonders worked through him.
In the words of St. John Damascene, everything that might seem a great exaggeration falls short of reality: “The whole universe has in you, Nicholas, a ready help in afflictions, a comfort in sorrow, a consolation in calamities, a support in temptations and a salutary remedy in infirmities.”5 And hearing such statements is no longer surprising…
Stimulating innocence on the Holy Night
His saintly, noble and generous existence, helped many souls to progress in virtue and many bodies to recover their health and even life
Devotion to St. Nicholas spread throughout Europe and later throughout the Christian world. Churches and cathedrals were built in his honour. His saintly, noble and generous existence, which helped so many souls to progress in virtue and restored bodily health and even life to so many, has nothing in common with the smiling, chubby figure dressed in red, coming from the North Pole in a sleigh pulled by reindeer on a festive night.
In fact, the real St. Nicholas is the one who comes on Christmas Eve to bless men of good will, who give thanks to God for His birth; he is the one who comes to resurrect in the hearts of sinners the sweet longing for innocence; he is the one who silently comes to give us the riches that he himself possesses in Heaven, needing only that we leave him an open window into our souls. ◊
Notes
1 ST. JOHH DAMASCENE. Hymnus in Sanctum Nicolaum Myrensem, Ode IX: PG 96, 1390.
2 The historical information mentioned in this article has been transcribed from: ROHRBACHER, René François. Vidas dos Santos. São Paulo: Editora das Américas, 1959, v.XXI, p.56-66; GUÉRIN, Paul. Vie des Saints. Paris: J. Lefort, 1894, p.217-218.
3 ROHRBACHER, op. cit., p.60.
4 Idem, p.65.
5 ST. JOHN DAMASCENE, op. cit., Ode III, 1383.
