In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Dear brothers and sisters, when the Lord preached the word of God on earth, He was surrounded and crowded by thousands of people. His disciples crowded closest to Him; there were others eager to listen to the holy sermon, and there were those who came with the secret hope of finding healing from their many different ailments. In a word, human sorrow flowed like a river to the feet of the Merciful Teacher. And He, after completing the healings, standing out of the blue and opening His mouth, pronounced the unchangeable Divine commandments for all times: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are those who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they excommunicate you and revile you and call your name dishonorable because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven (Luke 6:20-23).
Has humanity responded to these holy calls of its Savior? Yes, it responded - in the person of the Apostles, saints, martyrs, saints and all true followers of Christ. Their humble hearts accepted His covenants and bore rich and abundant fruit. Humility has become the root from which other fruits of holy faith grow. Humility lifted people up, brought down upon them various gifts of grace, and glorified them in the Kingdom of Heaven. Among such humble and meek workers and devotees of virtue is St. Nicholas of Christ, now honored by the Church, the great saint of God, who, having heard about Christ and His saving teaching, followed Him steadily and faithfully, exactly fulfilling the Gospel commandments and in everything trying to imitate his Master.
Born in the Lycian country from pious parents Theophan and Nonna, Saint Nicholas grew up from childhood as a humble and God-fearing youth. Inspired by a simple, but living and heartfelt faith, in his zeal for the glory of God he was like other great zealots of it - the prophet of God Elijah and the Baptist of the Lord John. His zeal for the glory of Christ God was also manifested in the fact that at the first Ecumenical Council, not tolerating the heretical blasphemy, he hit the heretic Arius on the cheek, for which he was condemned by the Fathers of the Council. But the Lord, appearing together with the Most Holy Theotokos to some of the Holy Fathers, justified him and restored him to the episcopal rank: The Fathers saw in a vision how the Savior Himself handed him the Gospel, and the Mother of God the omophorion. He justified him, for his act was not the result of a depravity of heart or coarseness of character, but a consequence of zeal for the glory of God.
Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, wonderworker
Another time, his righteous soul, outraged by the unjust condemnation of the innocent, was inflamed with zeal for their salvation, and he, laying down his soul for his neighbors, delivered them from death. He also visits prisoners in prisons and miraculously saves those who are perishing at sea.
This is how Saint Nicholas of Christ became famous for his mercy, compassion and help to suffering people. After all, due to our weakness, we mostly turn to God and His saints for help in our physical and spiritual needs, and most of all to those saints who have shown especially many works of mercy and help to the suffering. Having a stern, strict and silent appearance, the Saint of Christ possessed rare spiritual kindness, a tender and compassionate heart for all those who mourn and suffer, and always hurried to the aid of those who called on him. Therefore, he enjoys special love and reverence, and not only among the Orthodox people, but also among Jews, Mohammedans and other non-believers. The whole sunflower is full of his miracles, generously given to everyone who turns to him in sorrow.
The Holy Church in its hymns glorifies him as a hungry feeder, a powerful ruler at sea and a quick helper to everyone in troubles and sorrows. And indeed, his whole life represents a continuous series of benefits provided to suffering people.
Here is one such example. One unfortunate man went bankrupt and, having three adult daughters, in desperation set out to improve his affairs in a vile way - by selling the honor of girls. The saint learns about the plight of the family and, without waiting for a request, strives to prevent sin and disaster, wants to save both the soul and body of innocent girls from shame. Under the impenetrable cover of midnight, he comes to the home of the poor, secretly places a bag of gold coins in the window and disappears unnoticed. He watches how the girls’ father uses his gift, and, making sure that it is used wisely, repeats his benefit twice more until all three girls have been settled. But the grateful father waylaid his secret benefactor for the third time and threw himself at his feet with the words: “How can I thank you, man of God!” “Silence,” answered the Saint.
/ 19.12.2014
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
I cordially congratulate all of you, beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, on the day of remembrance of the great saint of God, St. Nicholas, Miracle Worker of Lycia!
In all corners of the world, not only Orthodox Christians, but also followers of other faiths feel the gracious help of this saint of God. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of those who travel, those who swim in the sea, those who trade, and simply all those who suffer - all those burdened with worries, everyday sorrows, those people who suffer disasters in the sea of everyday passions. This saint was given deep grace from the Lord to come to the aid of those people who are in extreme difficulties and needs. To come to show them the mercy of God, so that through this help people will think about the Giver of this help - about our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord chose Saint Nicholas as His assistant, a gracious “instrument” through which the Lord gives help to all those in need and suffering.
Today in the city of Bari, where the relics of St. Nicholas are located, a great celebration is taking place. And we are very glad that the delegation of the Kazan Theological Seminary, headed by Archpriest Nikolai Timofeev, is taking part in this celebration. We look forward to the return of our envoys to hear the story of this celebration. About how on the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas they prayed at his celibate relics.
However, in order to experience the gracious help of St. Nicholas, it is not at all necessary to undertake such a long journey, for on Russian soil there are many churches dedicated to St. Nicholas. Among other things, we remember that in the city of Kazan, one of the central churches where the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was located, the Church of St. Nicholas of Tula in the Bogoroditsky Monastery was also consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Now, however, it is in desolation, but we do not give up hope and hope that by the grace of God, through the prayers of St. Nicholas, it will be recreated and in it both prayer will be performed before the miraculous Kazan image of the Mother of God, and prayer to the great saint of God .
I believe that many Orthodox Christians have the experience of grace-filled help shown to them through the prayers of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. That is why today's holiday is celebrated so widely throughout the entire Earth, but this celebration is especially celebrated in Russia. Many believers of our Church are convinced that Nicholas the Wonderworker is a Russian saint. And although this is not true, in spirit he is a Russian saint. He is ours in the sense that the saint has always been especially merciful to Russia, to the people living in our country. There are many known miracles and miracles that took place through the prayers of this saint in our country.
In the capital city of Moscow, about a third of the churches are consecrated in honor of this saint of God. There are many of them in the city of Kazan and in many other places. It is known that shortly before the revolution, negotiations were held so that the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker would be transferred to Russia. Our last Russian sovereign also bore the name of this great saint. Unfortunately, revolutionary plans prevented these plans from being realized, however, we do not give up hope that someday these plans will be destined to come true, and St. Nicholas will remain here both spiritually and physically. But only the Lord knows about this.
Once again, I sincerely congratulate you on the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker!
The breath of the great holiday of the Nativity of Christ is felt closer and closer. The Nativity fast is already over. We must intensify our prayerful works, fasting and feasible feats of piety and mercy in order to prepare in a worthy manner for the feast of the Nativity of Christ. It is no coincidence that the Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas on these very days, since, looking at the image of this great saint of God, we ourselves must learn to be as merciful as he was: to come to the aid of our loved ones, to provide them with assistance and attention which is within our power. And remember that if we show mercy to our neighbors, then we ourselves will not remain unrequited at the Last Judgment of Christ.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Dear brothers and sisters, I cordially congratulate you all on the holiday - the memory of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, the Wonderworker.
Saint Nicholas is a great wonderworker and ascetic. For every believer’s heart, this is a saint, whom they turn to with special love, warmth and reverence, and most importantly, with hope.
We perceive St. Nicholas as a father and a person who is especially close to us and can always understand and help. Life tells us that Saint Nicholas, having devoted himself from his youth to serving God, people and the Church of Christ, always tried to support and console the faint-hearted, to help the suffering, unfortunate and disadvantaged person. In a word, he always tried to act as the Holy Scripture tells us about this " So, in everything that you want people to do to you, do so to them."(Matt. 7, 12).
Saint Nicholas is glorified by our Church from east to west, from north to south. There is not a single temple where we would not meet his icon. Both in the Russian Church, and in Orthodox churches in the East or in the West - everywhere his memory is honored with special love and reverence.
Saint Nicholas is an image of shepherding and mentoring. I would even say more. St. Nicholas is the main example for bishops and clergy, and the day of his death and commemoration could be called the holiday of the clergy. Indeed, in his life, every confessor and priest should try to imitate the life of the saint and, above all, take the example of the Chief Shepherd - Christ. The Gospel that we heard is precisely about shepherding.
The main quality of a priest is love for his children. Love for those people who entrust their souls and hearts to the shepherd. We hear a parable that the Lord addresses to his apostles. He says that the one who enters the fence from the outside, not through the entrance, but as if climbing over the fence, is a “false shepherd.” A real shepherd enters the fence in front of the sheep, instructs them, and the sheep hear his voice. The Lord speaks of himself as the Chief Shepherd, the one who can instruct and help, who can save from danger. It is not for nothing that the Church blesses this Gospel passage to be read in memory of the saints, including St. Nicholas.
The Troparion to St. Nicholas says: “The rule of faith and the image of meekness” - that is, he should be an example to follow for all people. The “temperate teacher” is the one from whom we should learn the virtues of humility and patience. “Show thee to your flock” - indeed, every priest and shepherd should set an example of his life for his flock. Any parent, if he wants his children to grow up as worthy people, must set an example of virtue with his own behavior, teach the child how to act and what not to do in life. And woe to that parent who teaches one thing, but acts completely differently in his own life.
“For this reason you have gained high humility, rich in poverty.” Only a person who humbles himself and can tolerate his neighbor will be able to teach others humility and reach the heights of spiritual life. Real wealth can only be collected by a person who can endure some hardships, who in his life will try to remember asceticism and abstinence.
Commemorating St. Nicholas, dear brothers and sisters, we pray and ask you to support and strengthen us. We turn to him as to a true father and shepherd, but we ourselves - both the laity and the clergy - must always remember that in our lives there is a certain responsibility, a certain obedience, which we must fulfill sincerely, selflessly, thereby set an example for our neighbors. We should not be disingenuous, harbor any grievances, we need to be sincere and open people, this is the only way to correct evil and change the world.
On this day, I would like to warmly congratulate the clergy of our diocese, as well as everyone who is present here and performs the cathedral service with us. Congratulations to all of you, dear brothers and sisters, and wish you the prayers of St. Nicholas. I wish you that the saint will be an example for you, so that you will always find a true shepherd in him. And to the best of your ability and ability, you tried to imitate him.
God bless you all, dear brothers and sisters, God's help! May the Lord, through the prayers of St. Nicholas, give us joy, consolation, and everything we need in our daily lives. God bless you all!
+Bishop of Pokrovsky and Nikolaevsky Pachomius
Holy Trinity Cathedral of Pokrovsk (Engels)
December 18, 2015
Christ is risen! Truly risen! In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Dear brothers and sisters, today we brightly celebrate the greatest day of remembrance in the Russian Orthodox Church, the memory of the transfer of the holy relics of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, wonderworker. Today we celebrate doubly solemn Easter joy, because the memory of this great saint always tunes our mind, heart and soul to do truth and goodness.
No one pleased God as much as this great saint. What, dear brothers and sisters, is his pleasure to God? Because he served God and people with all his being - mind, heart, soul and body. An unbreakable chain. It is impossible to serve God and it is impossible not to serve man. Service and salvation are our task. We don't just live for ourselves. What is the power of Christianity? What is the power of the salt that the Lord says that you are the salt of the earth? If salt overpowers, what will salt it? The salt of the earth is that each of us individually, and we all form the body of Christ, the Church of Christ. But each of us must, with a clear conscience and heart, try to live according to the holy commandments of the Gospel. It is impossible to rely on someone without correcting yourself. And it is impossible, correcting oneself, to live outside the body of Christ, outside the holy Orthodox Apostolic Church. The challenge faces each of us. In this case, only then will we receive a positive result if we improve ourselves through repentance and faith and improve ourselves through the sacraments of the holy Orthodox Church.
What does co-resurrection with Christ consist of? There is such a deep, dogmatic, religious and saving concept, what is co-resurrection with Christ, what is the meaning, dear brothers and sisters, why do we celebrate Easter? Well, should we really eat Easter cakes? We celebrate our hope for possible personal correction through the action of God's all-holy grace, which is given in the sacraments of the Church. This hope is indestructible if we try to correct ourselves, at least to some extent, according to Christ’s holy commandments. What does the holy Apostle Paul say? " Those who are Christ's are the flesh crucified with passions and lusts" That is, in Russian: only those are Christ’s, true Christians, who have crucified the passions in their soul and in their body. Co-crucifixion with Christ, victory over all evil within oneself. What are passions? These are all the immoral and sinful inclinations that initially plague our human nature. This is the inheritance we received from Adam and Eve. And now, unfortunately, each of us has to, having been born an innocent baby, but already carrying within us the terrifying negative potential of evil.
You look at a nursing baby - it’s an angel. But what grief - death is already embedded in it. It contains all the evil that we see around us. And therefore, the calling of the honor of the Christian title, dear brothers and sisters, lies in this, to defeat evil with God’s help. To win, to crush evil, and not to see how someone lives there, fares, and improves. Otherwise everyone judges the Orthodox, but they themselves don’t want to lift a finger.
What is the strength of our ancestors? For the last thousand years, the Orthodox Church has been declared the state religion. And so in Rus', the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, according to the testimony of all European and Byzantine sources, formed our Church back in the first century. The holy martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma are disciples of the holy Apostle Andrew from among the Rus. Moreover, it is known for sure, St. Demetrius of Rostov reports: their place of residence was Lake Ilmen. Greek disciples established a diocese in other places. That is, our Church is two thousand years old. Don't be surprised. Unfortunately, the topic is very large. It would be possible to develop it, but this is impossible within the framework of church preaching. 10-15 minutes is very little.
But the most important thing I want to say is that our ancestors did not just hear Christ. Why do we still have an indestructible foundation? They beat us from all sides, they corrupt us, they drink us to death, they trample on us, they lie to us, they don’t know how to drive us, our great Russian people, out of the world. Why are we being driven from the world? This is because we do not want to live by evil. And you are all witnesses to this. Russian man, better out of grief... . We see lives disappearing from the stage. This I say, unfortunately to the greatest. For some, the heart cannot stand it, because this is our nature, which was laid down for us by our greatest, the Kingdom of Heaven, our dear ancestors, dear brothers and sisters. This is the power of righteousness.
Even we are no longer good for anything with our sins and passions, but this desire to live the truth and unwillingness to agree with the lawlessness, Satanism that has swept the world, America, Europe. We see that these are no longer sins, dear brothers and sisters, what do we hear in the media? These are no longer sins, but this is Satanism, when self-devouring, perversion, and madness are promoted. That is, they are trying to fundamentally destroy Christian civilization from the very beginning. This is no joke! What can we say, it has been going on for a long time. Now we see all this abomination and trash, which has opened its vile jaws of uncleanness, lawlessness, Satanism, which it has hidden all these years and is trying to shove it all into us here through television. Especially the Internet. Poor youth. In our years, what temptations we had, and what we did. What about these poor children? It’s good if parents have at least some control. And now you can go to such sites that: May God rise again and His enemies be scattered,- that, God forgive me, not everything can be talked about in church!
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, for the glory of God and in the bright memory of our ancestors, we, not a good word “obliged,” but out of a duty of honor, the honor of the highest rank, as the Apostle Paul says, we must force ourselves. You don’t have enough strength, ask with all your strength. This is how children say it straight out: Lord Jesus Christ, I can’t do anything, I don’t understand anything, I can’t do anything, there’s only one sin in me; but You have absolute love and power, sacrificial love, for which, even without knowing me a thousand years in advance, You have already died for us in order to give Yourself life to us. That's what Easter is. Believe me, He always hears, don’t think that…. And then very often one hears the excuse: I’m already a completely sinful person, which is useless to me. This is deceit or stupidity. There is no sin that God’s mercy cannot overcome. You are parents yourself, you know if your child is sick, and you even have other children, but you direct all your attention to the sick child. This is the property of love. It's the same with the Lord. The lower and worse we live, the Lord not only does not abandon us, but look, He gave us a guarantee of perfect hope, that He loved us so much that He gave His life for us.
And the Apostle Paul argues: it is hardly heard that someone would give their life for a righteous person. And for us, struck not just by sin, but by the conscious choice of our ancestors Adam and Eve, the conscious choice of evil. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, perhaps we are called to this, for this God came to earth, to make man a god. These are the words of St. Basil the Great. The greatest divine winged words. These are not just words of hope, they are law. So God loved man, that is, imagine if He gave us a mind and a living heart that can love, and a mind that can weigh the power of love, so that they understand to what extent He..., if people can love each other to death and people can they die for their fatherland, for their family, for their relatives, they give their lives for the truth of God. What power is given to man, about which the Apostle Paul says that this is not even given to angels, it is given only to man. Just as He loves for us, so we can die for Him. It is not necessary to die with blood and life. And the one who, by the power of God, has overcome within himself the power of sin and the inclination to sin, this, dear brothers and sisters, is co-resurrection with Him. We don’t just believe, dear brothers and sisters. It’s just that many things in spiritual life are not customary to say out loud. But let me emphasize again a little. The fact that many of you, at varying degrees of churching, have all read the Gospel, and should read the Gospel every day. Every day a chapter, or even more, because in the Gospel all the secrets of salvation are revealed. It seems amazing, on the same narrative, which describes the three-year stay on earth of the God-Man of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Just imagine, this narrative outline contains all the revelations, all the secrets of the salvation of each of us. Therefore, in addition to the prayer rule, you must read at least one chapter of the Gospel every day.
So, this is the primary, first step to salvation and knowledge of God. The next step, dear brothers and sisters, is through the sacraments of the Church, through prayer, repentance, mercy. Today you probably heard, if anyone listened carefully to the reading of the Apostle. Today, amazing words were spoken during the reading of the Holy Apostle, that the Apostle Paul says that God is pleased with mercy and mercy. Easy to remember - mercy and mercy. This is the root of Christianity, this is what God brought to earth - meekness and humility, peace and sacrificial love. Everything that we see around Christ and around Orthodoxy, everywhere where Satan reigns, everywhere there is trampling of freedom and honor; everywhere there is a call to submit like slaves. And what does the Lord, addressing all believers, say? “I don’t call you slaves,” did you hear? Now there are a lot of provocateurs on social networks, either stupid people or conscious enemy provocateurs who say: what about Orthodoxy, it calls everyone slaves. This means that these people have never read the Gospel, or are conscious provocateurs. The Lord says in the Gospel: I no longer call you slaves; I call them friends, because the slave does not know the will of his master. But I told you everything for salvation. And even more terrible words, be careful. The Lord said this, but no mind can comprehend it. What did He say, Lord? Whoever fulfills the will of My Heavenly Father, which means the will of Christ, His holy commandments, is My brother, sister and mother.
Well, where are these people who say that Christianity has made slaves out of people? God is their judge. How sneaky their tongues are. You can’t say that you haven’t read the Gospels, or that you haven’t read them well. That’s why I say, every day it is necessary, every day relentlessly on the road, on the road, in the house, anywhere. Read while lying down or sitting, because this is not an obligation, but a requirement of life. Because you will only throw up your hands, you will be surprised: how simply all the secrets are revealed in one small book. It is a small book - the Gospel. This liturgical Gospel is brought out in large quantities for the celebration. And so it is small, it will fit in the palm of your hand. It's not much to read there, but how easy it will be to live. “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother.” To what honor are we all raised, all of you. This is said for everyone. There are no chosen ones before God. And if someone suddenly wants to, remind such a person that the Lord says: whoever wants to be first among us, let him be last; whoever wants to be first, let him be a servant of all.
And look how immeasurable the truth of God is. This is how you should always think, when reading the Gospel, how immeasurably good the Lord is. He said this, and he says about Himself: I did not come to be served, I came to serve people and save many. And what did He do before suffering on the cross? He knelt before His disciples and washed not only their feet, but also all of you. It's not just the apostles. What else do you need? People are raging, what else do you need - slaves, not slaves. I washed your feet for all of you! He washes everyone, washes away everyone’s sins. But let's not talk about these people. Unfortunately, everyone wants, brotherly, for people to know the truth, come and have perfect eternal joy in God. Because God is our Father, Parent and Creator. This is absolute beauty. Well, look at the world. This is a prison, brothers and sisters. The whole world in which we cannot enjoy this beauty is a zone to which everyone was sent from heaven. What do you think, beauty. The Apostle Paul says that this is a shadow of the good things to come. The Universe, who measured it? I won't repeat myself. There is a technical listing of species of animals, reptiles, birds, and so on. But who created this beauty? And all this is called the shadow of the future life. This is what Satan steals from people. He says: either there is no God, or there is no Satan himself. And people walk around like fools, like blessed turkeys. This is their whole life in front of them. As St. Ambrose says, a proud man is like a beetle that flies and says: my forests, my fields, everything is mine. And suddenly thunder struck, a hurricane came, and our poor smug beetle pressed itself under the leaf and said: God, don’t push me off. Before death.
This is brief, dear brothers and sisters, touching on what it means, otherwise you see Easter, it never ends. Christ is risen. As the Apostle Paul says, “the firstfruits became to those who died.” He is the first of mortals. And most importantly, you see, in the Old Testament there are many resurrections by the power of God, by the action of the Holy Spirit. But no one resurrected themselves. And the prophets were resurrected by the power of God. Not them, but God through them. Who could resurrect himself? Only God. The most important evidence of the truth of the God-man, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is His resurrection. Self-resurrection. He is like God Himself…. . He speaks about this in the Gospel long before the crucifixion: “ area imam put yu(soul) and the region imam paki acceptance yu" That is, in Russian: I have the power to lay down my life for you all, and like God, I have the power to resurrect Himself, so that no one doubts Him. What gods give such power and glory? Here He is, Christ.
But He did this on His part. Now our task is to see His immeasurable sacrificial love for us, care, care and the fact that He gives everything we need in the Church, as in a hospital or clinic. All priests are doctors. The sacraments of the Church are tools, everything necessary for the healing of the human soul. Now the step is ours. That is, on His part, God did everything not only possible, but also impossible. God became man in order to make man god. It was in essence that he humiliated himself, but thereby showed to what extent he loves us. Why did He do this? To show that He wants all of us, without exception, to be like Him. And our body is also like Him. Because the body, the second hypostasis, will never remove itself. That is why the apostle writes that in that age, whoever is worthy to enter that world, we will then see Him face to face in the literal sense of the word.
Why? Because in ancient times there were no cameras, and they still write with paints. If there had been a camera then, we would have had a picture. So this is His real body, as it is, if we are worthy, we will always see the real, and not imaginary, One who took flesh upon Himself in order to show to what greatness and glory the Lord raises all of humanity, forgiving the sin of Adam, forgiving personal sins and crimes, if only we repented, if only we reformed, if only we cleansed ourselves. That image is a mirror of the soul, so that we can not only reflect, but have within us the Sun-God, the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Concluding my words, dear brothers and sisters, I would like to turn to you for prayerful help, for some kind of possible help. Turn to all your near and distant ones, to your acquaintances, to everyone who is close to you, so that through common prayer the Lord will bless you, starting with this holiday in memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Christ, to recreate the great shrine of the Russian people. Where is this shrine located? 35 kilometers from us, you may have heard. There was the most famous, most miraculous, greatest image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was called Nikola Gostunsky. Unfortunately, we haven't heard. But here from Optina Pustyn in a straight line, then it’s 35 kilometers, and if you go through Belev, then it’s 45 kilometers. Maximum fifty. At the end of the 15th century, an amazing phenomenon occurred in the village of Gostun. The villagers saw a pillar of fire descend from the sky, and this glow continued throughout the day. And when the glow ended, the villagers approached this place, and this is a bend, the edge of the village, the eastern part, then they saw the image of St. Nicholas. As a token of gratitude, they built a temple on this site.
And St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Christ poured out immeasurable grace through this icon to such an extent that, as stated in the chronicle, the chroniclers did not have time to record the miracles that were performed from this icon. There was such glory from this icon that the great prince was worried: how is it possible that somewhere in a distant village there is such a shrine. A few years later, in 1506, Vasily Ivanovich the Third, the father of Ivan the Terrible, moved this icon in a religious procession to the Kremlin in Moscow and built a temple. If you enter the Kremlin through the Spassky Gate, then on the left side opposite the Ascension Monastery was this temple. He was small. And having previously built the temple, in 1506 they moved this icon in a religious procession. And she was in the Kremlin until the revolution. After the revolution she disappeared.
What kind of request is that on the site of the appearance of this icon there is a temple that was built in the 16th century, unfortunately it was destroyed. In 2002, the roof collapsed. And now only four walls and the altar part have been preserved, and the tented bell tower has been preserved in perfect condition. Temple from the early 16th century. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, on the day of remembrance of the great saint of God, otherwise, you know, my heart hurts. Of course, the greatest happiness is that thousands of churches are open, a thousand monasteries have already been opened. This is God's immeasurable mercy, these are miracles. But how painful it is when such a holy place is not just desecrated, but, you see, you haven’t even heard about it. They forgot about him. But every day and hour: Saint Nicholas, help. And in Russia this is the number one place. There is no more sacred place in Russia than this place - Nikola Gostun. By the way, this is the order of Vasily Ivanovich III not just to call the village Gostun, but Nikola Gostun.
We ask for your holy prayers, dear brothers and sisters. And let us pray and hope that in the future church the divine grace of salvation will also shine, so that there too they will sing “forever and ever” in that church and here in Optina and in all the Orthodox churches of the world the Easter hymn: Christ is Risen! Truly risen!
Archimandrite Vladimir (Milovanov)
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
He who gives much to God receives much from God.
And Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker received so much from God because he gave a lot.
At first, when he was still a little boy, he renounced idleness and entertainment for the sake of the Lord. From early childhood, Saint Nicholas prayed attentively and for a long time, strictly observed fasting and avoided empty talk. Also, from childhood, he loved the Word of God, and in order to read it, he learned to read and write faster than all his peers.
Then, in his early youth, the future saint abandoned a calm and prosperous life. The parents of Saint Nicholas were not poor people, and his uncle was a bishop in his hometown - Patara. Parental wealth did not seduce young Nikolai. Meanwhile, the bishop invited him to accept the priesthood. Let me remind you that it was at the end III century, in the last decades of the pagan Roman Empire. Persecution could begin at any moment, as it later did, and in any persecution it was the clergy who became the first martyrs. But Saint Nicholas accepts the offer and becomes a shepherd of verbal sheep. As before, he prayed attentively and for a long time, and was still a strict faster. In addition to this, he assisted his uncle, the bishop, in his affairs of governing the Church. And after the death of his parents, Saint Nicholas began to distribute the inheritance he had inherited to those in need, until he had given it all away, in fulfillment of the words of the Savior: sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
In addition, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker repeatedly renounced his desires for the sake of the will of God. When he desired new exploits, he left his native land and headed to the Holy Land to venerate the holy places and remain a monk in the Judean desert. But, after visiting the holy places of Jerusalem, he hears a voice: “No, not that, but go back to your fatherland.” Nicholas the Wonderworker did not want to come back, but he wanted to do the will of God, and God’s will was precisely this. And he returned to Patara and entered the monastery, where he was received with love. In this monastery, he again hears a voice: “Nicholas, this is not the field on which you will bear the fruit that pleases me. Go into the world." And in the life it is said that at these words he was horrified. The world did not attract the saint at all; all his life he avoided the world, and now the Lord sends him into the world. And Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker obeyed and went to the largest city in that region - to Myra in Lycia, where he himself least of all wanted to go. There is still an ancient pier where he worked as a loader, earning his daily bread. And at night he was the first to come to the temple before Matins began. And then one day, coming to a service at night, when there was no one in the church yet, he found the bishop there, who asked: “What is your name?” Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker knew that Archbishop John of Myra had recently died, and that the bishops of the surrounding cities had gathered in Myra for a council to elect a new archpastor. He also knew that opinions at the council were divided, and so far no one had been elected. He didn't want to be a bishop. But the one who was waiting for him in the temple received a revelation that God’s chosen one to this pulpit would come to the temple at night first, and his name was Nikolai. And so, as it is said in his life, the saint did not answer anything at first. But the bishop asks again: “What is your name?” And in response he hears: “Nicholas... Servant of your shrine, master.” Then the bishop calls him to follow him, and the council of bishops ordains priest Nicholas as Bishop of Myra-Lycia.
And here, in this new ministry, Saint Nicholas was ready to sacrifice for the Lord both his episcopal rank and his very life. At this time, the last and most terrible persecution of Christians in the history of the pagan Roman Empire arose. Saint Nicholas was imprisoned. He would have been tortured if Emperor Diocletian had not died. Then the saint was released. And so, a new era begins in the history of the Church - the time of Constantine the Great. The entire empire becomes Christian. But where there is grace, there are temptations. The Arian heresy is spreading everywhere. The First Ecumenical Council meets to condemn her. There, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker denounced Arius for his wickedness and blasphemy, and, denouncing him, struck him in the face. For this act he was removed from the Council, and it was decided to defrock him. But several of the oldest bishops had the same vision in their dreams: the Savior and the Mother of God were presenting Saint Nicholas with the signs of bishop’s authority - the Gospel and the omophorion. Then the fathers of the Council realized that their decision was displeasing to God, and they canceled it. And after that, one day, when Saint Nicholas left Myra on some business, the ruler of this city, for the sake of money, condemned three innocent people to death. Having learned about this, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker could reason that everything was God’s will, that it was not worth the risk of quarreling with the authorities, and that in fact he could not be everywhere at once. But instead, he urgently went to Myra, arrived at the square just in time for the execution, and, in the presence of the ruler himself, snatched the sword from the hands of the executioner.
Saint Nicholas gave everything he had to God, which is why he received such spiritual gifts. And you and I will grieve not because we lack earthly blessings and consolations, not because we have not achieved everything we wanted, and not because not everything happens to us as we would like. Let our sadness not be about what we have not yet received from God, but about what we have not yet given to God. That we still do a lot of things just for our own pleasure. That we are in no hurry to add anything to our efforts in spiritual life. And that during trials - big and small - we lack love for God and the desire to be faithful to Him.
The Lord did not create His Church so that we could please ourselves in it. The Church of Christ exists for the purpose that we give ourselves to God in it, and then we will receive everything that He has. And from St. Nicholas we will learn to live for the sake of God. Amen.
Lion
