On December 5, 2024, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided over the Vespers service in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker at the Saint Nicholas National Shrine and Greek Orthodox Church in New York City. The Archbishop’s homily offered profound insights into the spiritual significance of Saint Nicholas and the role of faith in overcoming life’s challenges.
During his homily, Archbishop Elpidophoros highlighted the spiritual joy of celebrating the feast with the faithful and reflected on the life and miracles of Saint Nicholas as depicted in the Shrine’s rich iconography. “Tonight, we come together as the People of God to celebrate the Victory of the People: Nicholas!” he proclaimed, noting that the Saint’s life continues to inspire acts of mercy and kindness.
The Archbishop emphasized the timeless relevance of Saint Nicholas, urging the faithful to reflect on their own spiritual struggles. “The victory of the people…is not found in conquering others. It is found in conquering oneself,” he stated, encouraging attendees to live in service to others through simple acts of kindness and compassion.
He drew attention to several icons in the Shrine, illustrating key moments in Saint Nicholas’s life—his ordination, acts of charity, and miraculous interventions. The Archbishop noted that these icons serve as reminders of the Saint’s enduring intercession and his presence even in modern tragedies, such as the events of 9/11. “Yes, the Saint of God was present on September Eleventh,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said, reflecting on Saint Nicholas’s role as a source of comfort and strength in moments of crisis.
As the service concluded, Archbishop Elpidophoros called upon the faithful to recognize Saint Nicholas as a powerful intercessor before God. “May we always have his prayers as we struggle to be victors through Christ in our lives on earth, and may we have his intercessions when we stand before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ.”
The Vespers service, held in the sacred space rebuilt as a tribute to the lives lost and heroism displayed during 9/11, served as a poignant reminder of faith’s enduring power to bring hope and unity. Archbishop Elpidophoros concluded his message with heartfelt blessings, wishing all Χρόνια Πολλά (Many Years) in celebration of Saint Nicholas.
Read the homily below:
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
To celebrate this Great Vespers with you – the faithful of our Saint Nicholas National Shrine, is a cause of deep and profound spiritual joy.
Tonight, we come together as the People of God, to celebrate the Victory of the People: Nicholas!
In all his Holy Icons, in the services that invoke his name, in the prayers that we offer in our Temples – by grace, which is the Divine Energy of God, we enjoy the presence of the Holy Archbishop of Myra. Indeed, within our National Shrine, we behold icons that portray the Life of the Saint, showing his acts of mercy and kindness, and the miracles over which he presided as a true Θαυματουργός – a Wonderworker of God’s Holy Will.
This blessing of his presence, amplified by the gift from His All Holiness of the Saint’s Precious Relic, holds an important message for our communities and society as a whole. And it is this: the νίκη τοῦ λαοῦ, the victory of the people, whether it is of one human being, or every human being – is not found in conquering others. It is found in conquering oneself.
All of us – young and old, women and men, ordained and lay – we all face daily challenges of the pull of our passions and the push of our aversions. We can either face these challenges and overcome them within our souls, or we externalize them into the world around us. Such projection is the source of our likes and dislikes, even our affections and hatreds. But they are not based in either integrity, or in true and lasting love. These feelings that oftentimes come to dominate our lives, are symptoms of the deeper struggle we all face to live as complete human beings.
So what can we learn from Saint Nicholas, a Hierarch from the ancient Church, in whose Spiritual House we pray this evening? Let us consider for a moment the Icons that surround us, portraying various aspects of the Saint’s life.
On the lower left of the south wall, we see the birth of the Saint, and on the recessed arch of the west wall, we see his dormition – his falling asleep in the Lord after a lifetime of service. These are the antipodes of every human life. We are born, we pass through this life, and then we pass on into eternity with God. But we are not without God in this lifetime, as the rest of the Icons from his Life Cycle so clearly demonstrate.
On the lower right, south wall, we see the Ordination of Saint Nicholas to the Episcopacy. Obviously, this is a circumstance that very few undergo in life, but, it represents any and every vocation that is well-pleasing to God. For, it is our intentions and our endeavors for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven that define us, not simply our job titles or descriptions.
All of us are called to live in service to one another, not only the clergy. And that service may be eminently simple: a kind word, a gesture, or a smile. A gift that is truly given, with no strings attached. A prayer silently offered for the benefit of someone else. All of these, and so much more, are signs of our calling in Christ.
But it is our actions that speak loudly too. In the three icons that show Saint Nicholas saving the Three Maidens by supplying their doweries (in the lower left of the north wall), or delivering three men unjustly cast into prison (in the lower left of the west wall), or rescuing three innocent men from execution (in the lower right of the west wall), we see the Saint of God acting on behalf of others in this life. Because it is our actions in this world that are determinative for the next! Whether they are efforts great or small, what we weave into the lives of others (as Pericles would have it), they endure.
On the lower right of the north wall, we behold the Sea Miracle, which is set into our own narrative of the tragic events of 9/11. Above are the waves of a dangerous sea; below is the billowing smoke of that fateful day. And the person rescued belongs to both scenes. Yes, the Saint of God was present on September Eleventh, and despite the horrific attack and wanton loss of life, he was there to care for those souls whose lives were lost that day, and to usher them into the presence of God. And we are here in this National Shrine to keep their memories and the heroism of that day alive.
Finally, we behold the Saint in the quarter-sphere extending into the narthex from the nave of the Shrine, interceding before our Lord, together with the Theotokos. This image reminds us, as we leave this sacred space, that Saint Nicholas is always praying for us in the Heavenly Realm.
My beloved Christians:
Your Heavenly Patron is a powerful intercessor before God. Let us understand and acknowledge that God still works miracles in his Saints, and particularly through the Holy Hierarch and Wonderworker Nicholas.
May we always have his prayers as we struggle to be victors through Christ in our lives on earth, and may we have his intercessions when we stand before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ, and so, be welcomed into the mansions of eternity to live in the Kingdom of God.
Amen.
Χρόνια Πολλά!
