Saint Nicholas – Bishop (270-346)
Feast day is December 6
Very little about Nicholas is historically verifiable, but because his life is the origin of the legend of Santa Claus, he is a highly venerated saint in the Church. Nicholas was born into an affluent and devout Christian family. When he was young, his parents died from an epidemic, leaving him an orphan and heir to his family wealth. Conscious of Jesus’ exhortation to “sell what you have and give to the poor,” Nicholas sold his inheritance and distributed the proceeds to the needy.
One popular legend is that among the recipients of his wealth were three girls whose father could not afford dowries for them to be married. Their futures looked grim, including the possibility of their resorting to prostitution to survive. Aware of the dire situation, Nicholas threw a bag of gold through their window that the father used as a dowry for his first daughter. Nicholas then did this a second time. After the second daughter’s marriage, the father waited all night for a third bag of money. When Nicholas threw the third bag through the window, the father ran out and thanked him. Nicholas asked him not to tell anyone. One version of the story says that each bag of gold landed in stockings hung by the fire to dry, leading to the Christmas tradition of placing stockings out for Saint Nick, who secretly fills them.
In another popular story, Nicholas was on a ship traveling to the Holy Land. A storm suddenly arose, and the crew were fearful for their lives. Nicholas prayed, and the storm ceased. For this reason, Saint Nicholas is patron saint of sailors and those taking sea voyages.
Nicholas became bishop of Myra, perhaps selected by the clergy, perhaps with God-given inspiration. During Nicholas’ time as bishop, Emperor Diocletian ordered a great persecution of Christians. Sometime between 303 and 306, Bishop Nicholas was arrested and tortured. When Constantine became emperor in 306, he ordered the bishop’s release. Seven years later, the Edict of Milan granted religious tolerance to Christians. The freed Bishop Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in 325, called to address the Arian heresy that denied the full divinity of Christ. In some sacred art, Bishop Nicholas is portrayed as slapping one of the Arians across the face.
Legends abound about Saint Nicholas, many portrayed in art and some that underlie his various patronages. Bishop Nicholas died on or around December 6, 346 and was canonized by popular acclaim. On his feast day, the faithful performed charitable works, especially toward children.
After the Church split between East and West in 1054, Saint Nicholas’ remains were in the hands of the Orthodox Church. In 1087, Catholic sailors from Bari, Italy took part of Saint Nicholas’s remains from his Myra tomb and brought them to Bari where a church was later built in his honor. To this day, his bodily remains excrete a liquid, at first thought to be an oil but now believed to be water, which is collected, mixed with holy water, and distributed to the faithful in bottles every May 9, the day his remains arrived in Bari. Commonly referred to as the “Manna of Saint Nicholas,” the liquid is believed to contain miraculous healing power.
Courtesy of MyCatholicLife.com
St. Nicholas HD (2:44)
The Church Remembers Saint Nicholas: Three Teaching Points
1. We remember Saint Nicholas for his generosity.
Nicholas was born in what is now Turkey to wealthy parents. He was born in to a devoutly Christian family, but unfortunately his parents both died while he was still a child. Nicholas took Jesus words, “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” literally. He dedicated his life to serving God, using his whole inheritance to help the sick and needy. Nicholas became well known for his generosity as well as his love for children and his concern for sailors and ships.
2. We remember Saint Nicholas for his courage and leadership.
Nicholas became Bishop of Myra while still a young man. He served faithfully as a leader in the church, even through persecution. During the rule of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Christians were ruthlessly persecuted. Like many others, Nicholas suffered for his faith. He was exiled and imprisoned. Despite his suffering, Nicholas did not abandon his work. After being released, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.
3. We remember Saint Nicholas through stories.
Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas’ life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so revered as protector and helper of those in need. Retelling the stories of St. Nicholas provides a good opportunity to talk about the importance of stories in our faith and tradition. Some of the stories of St. Nicholas are outlandish and it is natural to ask, “Is that a true story?” One way of answering this question might be to discuss the differences between a factual story and a true story. The stories of St. Nicholas were passed down through oral tradition, so we don’t know if the facts in the stories are accurate. But when we look at all the collection of stories as a whole, we can say with reasonable certainly that there are some consistent truths about the character of St. Nicholas.
Prayer: Saint Nicholas, through your intercession, God has touched many lives. Legends of your life have inspired faith throughout the centuries, just as your ministry impacted the people of your day. Please pray that I will become a saint and fulfill the mission God has given to me. Saint Nicholas of Myra, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Story of Saint Nicholas – Part -1 | English | Story of Saints (19:42)
Story of Saint Nicholas – Part -2 | English | Story of Saints (25:03)
