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Pre-Christmas Feasts
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Conception of St.
Anna Our Holy Father
Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia
December 6
Our
Holy Father Nicholas was born (c. 270) in
the region of Lycia (southern Asia Minor),
in the city of Patara. His parents,
Theophanes and Nonna, were both pious
Christians, and being childless until his
arrival, consecrated Nicholas to God at his
birth (the name Nicholas meaning “Conqueror
of nations”). Nicholas would always remember
his parents’ love and devotion to God, and
in his later years promised to come to the
aid of those who remembered them in their
prayers. As a young man, he desired to
espouse the solitary life. He made a
pilgrimage to the holy city Jerusalem, where
he found a place to withdraw to devote
himself to prayer. It was made known to him,
however, that this was not the will of God
for him, but that he should return to his
homeland to be a cause of salvation for
many. He returned to Myra, and was ordained
Bishop.
As a
Good Shepherd, Saint Nicholas dedicated
himself to
the
care of his people and made great efforts to
feed his people during times of famine. He
became known for his abundant mercy,
providing for the poor and needy, and
delivering those who had been unjustly
accused. Because of these acts of charity
and his observed holiness, Nicholas was
revered as a Saint even before his death. At
the Council of Nicaea in the year 325, the
holy Archbishop of Myra Nicholas defended
the true nature of Christ against the Arian
heresy and helped write the Nicene Creed. After a life of work in the vineyard of the
Lord, Saint Nicholas died on December 6th.
The year he died is uncertain (c.340-343).
He was a most revered Saint of the early
Church and Justinian honored St. Nicholas by
making December 6th a celebration
of his feast day. The relics of St. Nicholas
were transferred from the cathedral in Myra
to Bari, Italy in the eleventh century. His
body exudes even to this day an ointment
called myron, which was used to anoint the
sick which led to many miracles. This
exuding of oil is called “manna of St.
Nicholas”. Till this day our Holy Father
Nicholas is venerated as the patron saint of
children and travelers.>
The Conception by
Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos - December 9
Celebrated for many centuries
under a variety of titles, the Feast widely
known in the Eastern Church as the Feast of
the Conception by St. Anna is celebrated in
the Roman Church as the Feast of the
Immaculate Conception. This Feast
commemorates Saint Anna’s conception of
Mary, the Mother of God. The writings of the
early Church tell us that Mary’s parents,
the righteous Joachim and Anna, prayed
earnestly for a child. Joachim was of the
tribe of Judah and a descendant of King
David. Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan. Anna’s sister, Zoia, was the mother
of Elizabeth (who became the mother of
forerunner of Christ John the Baptist). Anna
however, was childless. Anna and Joachim had lived devoutly in
marriage for fifty years. They gave a third
of their income to the poor and a third to
the Temple in Jerusalem. Still, they were
scorned for being without offspring. With
heavy hearts, they prayed that God would
bless them with a child to comfort them in
their old age. The Almighty God answered
their prayers by allowing Anna to conceive a
child who would be the Mother of God’s own
Son, Jesus Christ.
Against all hope, the bonds of barrenness
are loosed today. For, God has hearkened
unto Joachim and Anna clearly promising that
they would bear a godly maiden. He who
commanded the angel to cry out to her,
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you,”
will be born of her, the infinite One
Himself, becoming man.
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