St. Nicholas Saves the Ship on His Trip to the Holy Land

St. Nicholas Saves the Ship on His deck. The ship was rocking so forcefully favorable winds, and peacefully put in to Trip to the Holy Land back and forth in the storm that the sailor shore at Alexandria. lost his footing, fell to the deck and died. His While a young man, St. Nicholas made a shipmates sadly took his lifelessbody below. When the boat reached port, Nicholas was pilgrimage to the Holy Land – a pilgrimage approached by many sick people who asked that would have profound effects on those The wind continued to batter the boat him to pray for their recovery. Following the around him! unmercifully and the sailors were frightened example of St. Peter… to death, literally in fear of perishing. They To prepare himself for this visit in an begged Nicholas to pray that they might “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not atmosphere of serenity, he decided to travel escape the storm unharmed: have, but what I do have I give you: In the on an Egyptian boat where no one would name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up know him. “If you, O servant of God, do not help us by and walk.’” (Acts 3:6 NKJV) your prayers to the Lord, then we shall During the first night of the trip, Nicholas immediately perish!” …Nicholas was able to restore all of them dreamed that the devil had come on board by the power of God to health before the boat and was cutting the ropes that held Commanding them to have courage, to moving onward. the main mast. He interpreted this to mean place their hope in God and without any that they would run into a severe storm. In doubts to expect a speedy deliverance, Having reached the ancient city of Jerusalem the morning he told the sailors of this vision Nicholas began to pray fervently to the and having come to Golgotha, Nicholas and warned that there was trouble ahead. He Lord. Immediately the sea became peaceful offered up thanksgiving to our Lord and also reassured them: and a great calm set in. The joyful travelers Savior Jesus Christ and he made the rounds rendered thanksgiving to God and His of all the holy places so he could pray at “Don’t be afraid. Trust in God because He servant, Nicholas, and were doubly each one. will protect you from death.” astonished – both at his predicting of the storm and the cessation of distress. Nicholas hoped to withdraw into the Nicholas had hardly finished speaking when wilderness, but he was stopped by God’s dark storm clouds covered the sky and the Their relief and gratitude were muted, voice, urging him to return to his native sea around the boat became turbulent. however, by the fate of the fellow sailor country. At the port, Nicholas went from Although they were close to the coast, the whose lifeless body had been taken below. ship to ship asking to be taken back quickly. wind and water grew so violent that it was Nicholas – hoping to wipe out the memory One boat was just being loaded, and the impossible to steer it into calmer waters. of their trial completely – prayed for the captain said, “We will go wherever our fare Having lost control, they pulled down all the dead sailor. Quickly, and miraculously, the asks us to go.” Nicholas answered that he sails. man was revived as if he had only been would pay to be taken directly to Patara in asleep, and awakened without any pain Lycia. Their immediate agreement was a When the main mast itself threatened to whatever. pretense; they planned on stopping over at crash across the ship, one sailor climbed it to their own home port on the way, where they tighten the ropes. Having finished his After this, the travelers hoisted all their sails could sell Nicholas into slavery. dangerous task, he began his descent to the and happily continued their voyage under There was a fair wind, and they set sail, but not directly toward Patara. St. Simeon Thought to Ponder: The universal appeal of St. Nicholas Saves the Ship on His Metaphrastes wrote that God “did not want a Saint such as Nicholas is easy to Trip to the Holy Land to have the saint suffer any delay or understand. Where someone might hesitate disappointment, and so He raised a violent to call upon more remote figures in the storm that caused the ship’s rudder to be religious hierarchy in moments of fear and damaged beyond repair.” stress, a more human image could be addressed without hesitation. And St. The frightened sailors pleaded with Nicholas Nicholas, by the end of the Middle Ages, to pray for their safety. He agreed and knelt was becoming more and more human to on the deck to pray as the storm tossed the wider and wider segments of the European ship. When he extended his arms, the sea population. became calm. Adam of St. Victor (d. 1192), Canon of the As a result of the damage, the boat drifted monastery of St. Victor in Paris, author of rudderless across the sea, at the mercy of the famous “Sequences,” wrote a hymn in every wave and every gust of wind. The honor of St. Nicholas. It alluded to his sailors feared that they would just drift until miraculously calming the storm, and went they died from lack of food and water. on to ask the Saint to lead us to the harbor of salvation in Jesus Christ, and save us from Unknown to the sailors, the boat was shipwreck in this world of sin. drifting quite purposefully in a specific direction. On and on for many miles it Thought to Discuss around the Dinner moved. At last, they saw land, and the boat Table: In our dealings with others, do they moved close to shore. Captain and crew see us as remote, aloof, or too pious to get were awed to discover that the ship, far from our hands dirty? Or do they feel comfortable drifting aimlessly, had taken them directly to approaching us for help, that we might help “ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who Patara where Nicholas had wanted them to where we can and point them to Jesus? believes in Me, the works that I do he will go in the first place! do also; and greater works than these he will Did You Know? The Normans were great do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12 Overwhelmed by the dual miracle of their sailors, and on their voyages they invoked NKJV) own survival and the safe arrival at the Saint who had appeared to sailors in Nicholas’ destination, they asked his danger and saved them from shipwreck. The forgiveness. He told them kindly but firmly, habit of praying to him spread all along the “From now on, don’t try to fool anyone.” coasts of Northern Europe. William the Then he asked them to repair their boat’s Conqueror was to pray to him during a rudder, be on their way, and have a good storm that arose while he was crossing the journey home. English Channel.