By Archimandrite Ananias Koustenis
Today we celebrate our much-loved and popular Saint Nektarios, Bishop of Pentapolis, the Wonderworker, the Myrrhgusher and our protector.
On this day, September 3, 1953, there took place in Aegina, the island, the translation of the sacred and grace-flowing relic of our Saint, where he had been buried, in his Monastery. And since then, every year, on September 3, our Church celebrates this memory and festivity. And she finds an opportunity and an occasion to glorify God and to honor the Saint and to show his love, his miracles and everything else that this great and wonderworking hierarch of the Church and father and teacher offers to our country and to the world, who, with his infinite miracles, became a doctor without borders.
And as the modest Synaxarion of September 3 says, "and he reaches everywhere." The Saint reaches out everywhere and heals.
As they then opened his holy tomb, an indescribable fragrance immediately came out of him. And it filled, permeated, the air. This aroma, this fragrance, was the fragrance and aroma of another world. "An aroma of spiritual fragrance." The sacred and divine Nektarios had become sanctified. After all, he flowed with myrrh immediately after his divine repose. And this is a sign of holiness and a sign of heavenly recognition.
Wherever you go you find his icon. Many churches, small and large, including that of Aegina, have adorned and decorated all of Orthodoxy. He is known everywhere.
Yes, what is needed and yes, what is missing today, is Holiness, is Divine Grace. The Grace of the Saint, the Grace of God, which overwhelmed and settled even on his sacred and holy relics. On his sacred bones. It stayed there. And they were and are and will be the treasury of Divine Grace, as the Synaxarion writes.
Treasury of the inexhaustible Divine Grace. The Saint received so much Grace, which remained even in his sacred relics and not only. And his sacred relics then, after the funeral, became "a cure for all kinds of diseases and pains and sorrows," as the modest Synaxarion of the day, September 3rd, notes verbatim. The Saint heals all diseases, with Divine Grace. That is, through the Saint, Christ heals, He who is the "physician of our souls and bodies."
That is why the Apolytikion also says: "Glory to Christ who glorified you, glory to Him who crowned you, glory to Him who works through you all healings." The Saint heals all kinds of diseases to those who come with faith and if indeed it is in their interest.
The Saint heals. He is a wonderworker. And indeed a great wonderworker. And even an immediate wonderworker. He does not wait for us to beg him in particular. Why? The Saint has been through so much. From diseases, from temptations, from demons, from injustices, from poverty, from strangers, from defamations, from slanders, from persecutions and from so many other things, which we do not know. And that is precisely why he has sympathy for us. And he hastens to us immediately. A self-invited helper. He hastens and reaches out and helps. Even for those who don't know him. Who haven't heard of him. And of course they don't invoke him.
His Grace is great. His love is great. The Saint rose so high and God gave him so much Grace, because he was humble and loving. He had the two wings of the Church: humility and love. God blesses the humble with His two hands. And God, for the one who loves, gives them more love. God rejoices that we love His creations. God rejoices that we love others. Just as parents rejoice, when someone loves their children. God rejoices, especially when we love the unworthy. Let's love everyone. This is greatness.
Well, the Saint was both humble and loving. And he had great faith in the Lord. And in the Lady Theotokos. He left himself in Their hands, in Their Grace and in Their guidance. And this is a big thing. And indeed for our days, where so many difficulties, so many dangers, so many sufferings, so many threats exist and trouble us. When we have this faith and leave ourselves in the hands of Christ, the Panagia and the Saints and Angels, the climate changes. Everything changes. Both within us and around us. The Grace of God comes and differentiates them. And it changes them. And we live on another wavelength. We are in this world and we belong to another together. And the Lord leads us to eternal life. To the eternal homeland.
Venerating the sacred and grace-flowing relics of Saint Nektarios we enjoy a special Grace. We receive a prayer and a blessing. And he comes to us, he visits us. We feel it, we sense it.
Let us leave ourselves in the hands of Christ and the Panagia and the Saints. We do everything we can, of course. Our Saint in his life always made his own effort, his own labor, his own care, calling upon, however, at the same time, and having the Divine help.
These two formed a strong coalition, which reached the Saint until his sanctification. Until Paradise. They elevated him to the pantheon and firmament of the Saints and Paradise. His Grace is great. His blessing is great. And great is the care of the Saint. Wherever we are, wherever we find ourselves, whatever we have, in bed, in the hospital, in prison, on the road, in the air, in the sea, in our solitude, on the mountain, in the wilderness, in our caves, those which are seen and those which are not seen, let us bring to our minds and souls our Saint Nektarios. Let us talk to him. Let's tell him what we have. He takes them. He forgives them. He transforms them. But he doesn't leave us. He won't leave us!
We thank God. We thank the Panagia. We thank our Saint Nektarios for everything. We kiss again his sacred and grace-filled relics on the feast of his Translation.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
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