THE MOVIE: Nicholas of Myra
Posted on 12/06/2009 5:48:31 AM PST by NYer
You were there? There are many stories about these bones but, ultimately, the good news is that for both Orthodox and Catholics, they have been preserved and were not destroyed when Myra was overtaken by Muslim invaders. For this, we should both be grateful.
“Had the Italian merchants not taken his bones to Italy, what do you suppose the Muslims would have done with them?”
The Mohammedans wouldn’t have gotten them. Likely they’d have stayed in Constantinople with Orthodox monks for near the next 400 years and then have been taken off to Russia by the same Orthodox monks who had cherished them for 1000 years, unless the Roman Catholics stole them during the sack of Constantinople in 1204 when they stole most everything else cherished and revered by the Orthodox Christians.
All of this happened a very long time ago and some progress has been made by the Vatican in cleaning up what its partisan thieves did in the East, but it is apparent from idiotic comments like those made by the “Catholic News Agency” that the organized Catholic media is still living in the Latin LALA land of yesteryear where the Crusaders saved the East’s relics from profanation at the hands of the Mohammedans. That’s a shame. The arrogant stupidity of the CNAs of this world push the day of reunion off even further.
Catholic News Service can’t even give credit to the saint’s heritage and ethnicity!
Saint Nicholas of Myra -— A Turk indeed! Really shameful and despicable behavior on the part of CNS.
Sometimes it is better for our own peace of mind to relinquish the past and move into the present. Does it really matter where the bones of St. Nicholas are kept? Does it matter where pieces of the true cross have been distributed? What does matter is that proper reverence and due respect are given to these objects. Italy is not that far from Greece or Turkey. In an age of high speed rail and aviation, a truly devoted individual could certainly make a pilgrimage to visit these relics. Perhaps it was the will of the saint that his name be elevated in the west where he could bring more souls to our Lord. Who are we to bicker over saintly remains.
I am reminded of the skull of St. Maron. There is no saint more precious to the Maronites than him for their church bears his name.
St. Maroun died around 410 A.D. and willed to be buried in St. Zabina’s tomb in Kita in the region of Cyrrhus. However, his will was not executed because people from different villages wanted to have him buried in their towns. Theodoret’s description of St. Maroun’s burial place<.4) points to the populous town of Barad in the proximity of Kfarnabo. A huge church was built in that town around the beginning of the fifth century A.D. (25).
Inside this church there was a sarcophagus, which possibly contained St. Maroun’s body. According to a Maronite tradition, the followers of St. Maroun carried the relics of the Saint, especially the skull, to St. Maroun’s Monastery or "Beit Maroun" built in 452 A.D. between Hama and Aleppo in Syria.
Relic of SaintThe skull was carried to St. Maroun’s Monastery in Kfarhai, Batroun - Lebanon around the turn of the eighth century. Patriarch Douaihy mentions: "When Youhanna (John) Maroun settled in Kfarhai, he built an altar and a monastery after St. Maroun’s name and put St. Maroun’s skull inside the altar to heal the faithful. That’s why the monastery is called "Rish Mro" (Syriac) meaning "Maroun’s head"(26) .
Later, St. Maroun’s skull was taken to Italy. In 1130 A.D. one of the Benedictine monks came tc the region. This monk was the rector of the Cross Afonastery near Foligno-Italy. During his visit he heard about St. Maroun’s skull, and upon retuming home he publicized St. Maroun’s virtues. As a matter of fact, a church was built after St. Maroun’s name in Foligno. The Bishop of Foligno carried the skull to the city in 1194 A.D. and put it in the church of the diocese. The faithful in the city made a statue of silver for St. Maroun and put the skull in it. During his stay in Italy in 1887, Bishop Youssef el-Debs was given some relics of St. Maroun’s skull by the Bishop of Foligno(27).
I have never heard anyone complain about this transferral of their beloved saint's skull to Italy. If anything, they are grateful that his name has become known in the West.
You are aware I am sure that the parastate of Turkey is demanding the relics back...and since St. Nicholas is a “Turkish” saint according to some bozo writer at CNS — I somehow expect this to happen.
Another important point they are incapable of understanding is that the Muslims never, never "conquered Turkey". What happened is the the Muslim Turks conquered Asia Minor.
Also, if not for the stupid British Empire helping the Muslims every chance they could get for centuries, the Christians would have been free of Islamic tyranny many years earlier, with an immense savings of millions of lives. The way things are looking,m England is being Islamicized by their immigrants, and sad to say they brought it on themselves.
Ach! Should have sung the great "Queen of Chorales" by Philip Nicolai (1556-1609) today:
1. O Morning Star, how fair and bright
thou beamest forth in truth and light,
O Sovereign meek and lowly!
Thou Root of Jesse, David's Son,
my Lord and Master, thou has won
my heart to serve thee solely!
Thou art holy,
fair and glorious, all-victorious,
rich in blessing,
rule and might o'er all possessing.
2. Thou heavenly Brightness! Light divine!
O deep within my heart now shine,
and make thee there an altar!
fill me with joy and strength to be
thy member, ever joined to thee in love that cannot falter;
toward thee longing
doth possess me; turn and bless me;
here in sadness
eye and heart long for thy gladness.
NYer, its got to do with honesty and respect, not distance from Greece or Myra.
“You are aware I am sure that the parastate of Turkey is demanding the relics back...and since St. Nicholas is a “Turkish” saint according to some bozo writer at CNS — I somehow expect this to happen.”
Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Likely the Turkish dogs would put them on display in that big museum they have in the Polis. Now what was its name...?
There are only two proper possible places for those relics; the Phanar or Moscow.
The West is doomed not for electing scum like Obama but for not recognizing or even better having any understanding of the unimaginably heroic efforts into defeating hordes of Muslims by Orthodox civilizations...Russia at the top of the list after the Fall of Byzantium.
Don't talk to me about the Brits-— commonly called the “Old Whore” among my friends from the Balkans and me too. Brits have repeatedly back stabbed Christian slaves barely surviving under the moham’dan yoke for centuries.
What really galls me is the CNS — and their sheer ignorance and gall in calling Saint Nicholas a Turkish saint. And then having our own Rooney here on this thread come up with lame arguments for pillaging his relics by robbers and thieves.
the Phanar or Moscow.
Certainly.
What about Mount Athos?
“What about Mount Athos?”
Eleni mou, I want you to be able to venerate those relics.
As I pointed out in my post to elenil, there are many stories and legends surrounding these bones. We were not there. We do not know the facts; there is no documentation. We only know what we have been told. And that, dear friend, is the honest truth. As for respect, we know for a fact that these bones of St. Nicholas have been treated with great respect by the residents of Bari and shown utter reverence over all these years. Do you know otherwise?
LOL. Good one.
OK I vote for Moscow or St. Pete’s then.
I can say this though. NO Christian who wishes to see the Saint’s birthplace should step foot in Demre or any other bloody Turk place. The priests who are celebrating today in Noel Baba Müzesi have much more tolerance for these scum than I do.
You need to focus.
The Article is full of factual errors. Whether deliberate or not only their conscience will decide that.
Second, any relics of Saint Nicholas whether in Bari or in the fake museum in Demre must be returned to the beloved care of the Orthodox faithful since they were stolen from their place of origin and that place of origin AT PRESENT no longer exists.
It is time to do the right thing.
“As for respect, we know for a fact that these bones of St. Nicholas have been treated with great respect by the residents of Bari and shown utter reverence over all these years. Do you know otherwise? “
They were stolen by thieves and turned over to the Roman Church. The Roman Catholic thieves showed no respect for The Faith, the evil mitred thieves they turned the relics over to showed no respect and continue to show no respect by retaining the stolen relics. Whatever reverence the co-religionists of the thieves have shown is neither here nor there. Thieves and their supporters often show reverence for their ill gotten booty. Look at the British! In the present case, the Pope himself, since he could order the return of these Orthodox relics and the hundreds of others held in Roman Catholic churches and monasteries tomorrow if he wanted to, must be considered as guilty as the ravening wolves from the West who originally stole them.
An "Anglican World" Christmas Special: St. Nicholas, a Saint For Today
Saint Nicholas of Myra, By Ilya Repin
How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus: One Theory
An Orthodox priest at Bari; the story of St. Nicholas' bones
Turkish Town Exchanges St. Nick for Santa (Former Myra, hometown of St. Nicholas)
The Real St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas belongs in any reclamation of Christmas
Don't forget: St. Nicholas' Day is tomorrow [today] (get your shoes out!)
Life of Saint Nicholas the Bishop, from The Golden Legend compiled by Jacobus de Voragine
Yes, There Really is a St. Nicholas !
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