Tag Archives: St. Nikolai Velimirovich

The essence of all His miracles.

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By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made (Psalm 33:6) God made everything, man from dust, etc. So why would changing water to wine at Cana be difficult?

“…for our nature, weakened by sin, it is an unattainable miracle. Yet, isn’t the working of miracles the usual occupation of the Creator? When the servants filled the six large vessels with water, the Lord Christ said to them: Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast (John 2:8). He did not even say, ‘Let the water become wine,’ he merely thought it. For God’s thoughts have the same power as His words.

“Why is it said that this was the ‘beginning of miracles,’ when it appears that, long before this miracle, the Lord worked other miracles? Because, brethren, the changing of water into wine is the fundamental miracle of Christ, and is the essence of all His miracles. Human nature was diluted with its own tears, and it was necessary to change it into wine. The divine spark in man was extinguished, and it was necessary to rekindle it. Infirmity is like water, health is like wine; the impurities of the evil spirits are like water, purity is like wine; death is like water, life is like wine; ignorance is like water, truth is like wine. Hence, whenever the Lord made the sick whole, the impure pure, the dead alive, and prodigals enlightened, He essentially turned water into wine.”

-St. Nikolai Velimirović 

Read the entire homily here (scroll down to the bottom): Prologue of Ohrid

Miracle at Cana, Castel d’Appiano, Italy, 13th century.

The first light and the first song.

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Seraph – Fresco by Theophanes the Greek, 14th century

From the Akathist to Jesus Conqueror of Death, composed by St. Nikolai Velimirovich on Pascha 1923 — Kontakion Nine, “The Choir of Seraphim”:

“We are the first light of Thy light and the first song of Thy voice; all the angels’ tongues together cannot express the glory and light of the seraphim, just as we seraphim cannot express Thy glory and radiance, Thou only begotten One, Beloved of the Father and the Holy Spirit. Among seraphim Thou art Seraph, among cherubim Thou art Cherub, among angels Thou art Angel, among men Thou art Man. Thou art all in all; and since Thou art all in all, Thou art servant of all and Lord of all; therefore, we who rule countless worlds below us serve in humility amid the unburning flame of the Divinity of the Trinity, carrying Thy love downward to Thy creature and the love of the creatures upward to Thee, singing the triumphant hymn: Alleluia.”

Last year for the Feast of Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, I shared the songs that St. Nikolai gives to the Angels and Archangels. But I’m not sure I’ve posted a link to this article before: “The Divinely-Revealed Appearance of Angels in Icons.” It is so full of the mystery and glory of angels, as they reveal God’s great love toward us, that my heart was near to bursting from considering a small part of it.

This is a good day to join with cherubim, seraphim,
and all the ranks of angels as they sing
praises to the Holy Trinity.

Jan Van Eyck, The Ghent Altarpiece

Milk turned to wine and spilling over.

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I’m re-posting from five years ago some thoughts from and about St. Gregory Palamas, the 14th-century ascetic, scholar and apologist whom we Orthodox always remember on the second Sunday of Lent:

“…the grace of the Spirit takes possession of the quiet soul, and gives it a taste of the unspeakable good things to come, which no passionate and negligent eye has seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of such a man (cf. I Cor. 2:9). This taste is the earnest of these good things, and the heart which accepts these pledges becomes spiritual and receives assurance of its salvation.”   -St. Gregory Palamas

Today we commemorate St. Gregory Palamas. Frequently I am so scattered that I forget to look at any calendar: my wall calendars or my everyday planning calendar or the church calendar. But today I did, so I noticed. One year I attended the most enriching retreat during which we were taught much about the spiritual life, understanding and practices that are our inheritance from St. Gregory, but I never managed to process it in a way that I could share here.

So I read what St. Nicolai has to say about him in his Prologue. Here is a bit of it:

St. Gregory Palamas learned much through heavenly revelations. After he had spent three years in stillness in a cell of the Great Lavra, it was necessary for him to go out among men and benefit them with his accumulated knowledge and experience. God revealed this necessity to him through an extraordinary vision: One day, as though in a light sleep, Gregory saw himself holding a vessel in his hand full to overflowing with milk. Gradually, the milk turned into wine which likewise spilled over the rim, and drenched his hands and garments.

Then a radiant youth appeared and said: “Why would you not give others of this wonderful drink that you are wasting so carelessly, or are you not aware that this is the gift of God’s grace?” To this Gregory replied: “But if there is no one in our time who feels the need for such a drink, to whom shall I give it?” Then the youth said: “Whether there are some or whether there are none thirsty for such a drink, you are obligated to fulfill your debt and not neglect the gift of God.” Gregory interpreted the milk as the common knowledge (of the masses) of moral life and conduct, and the wine as dogmatic teaching.

Also I mused on quotes from him that I found online, such as the one at top. Here are two more that give me courage:

“Life of the soul is union with God, as life of the body is union with the soul. As the soul was separated from God and died in consequence of the violation of the commandment, so by obedience to the commandment it is again united to God and is quickened. This is why the Lord says in the Gospels, ‘The words I speak to you are spirit and life’ (John 6:63).”

“Given that we desire long life, should we not take eternal life into account? If we long for a kingdom which, however enduring, has an end, and glory and joy which, great as they are, will fade, and wealth that will perish with this present life, and we labour for the sake of such things, ought we not to seek the kingdom, glory, joy and riches which, as well as being all-surpassing, are unfading and endless, and ought we not to endure a little constraint in order to inherit it?” -St. Gregory Palamas

St. Nikolai on fasting.

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Today is the date of the repose of St Nikolai Velimirovich, one of my favorite saints. As it’s also the first day of Great Lent for us Orthodox, I thought I would share a short quote from him about fasting. 

If a man only theorises about God, then he is helpless, utterly helpless, when confronted by an evil spirit. An evil spirit laughs at feeble worldly theorising. But as soon as a man begins to fast and to pray to God, the evil spirit becomes filled with inexpressible fear.

-St. Nikolai Velimirovic, Sermon on Mark 9: 29

St. Nikolai wrote a long prayer-poem about fasting which you can read here: Fasting: Prayers by the Lake XLI

“On March 18, 1956 Saint Nikolai fell asleep in the Lord Whom he had served throughout his life. He was found in his room kneeling in an attitude of prayer. Though he was buried at Saint Sava’s Monastery in Libertyville, IL, he had always expressed a desire to be buried in his homeland [Serbia]. In April of 1991 his relics were transferred to the Chetinje Monastery in Lelich. There he was buried next to his friend and disciple Father Justin Popovich (+ 1979).” OCA