† இன்றைய புனிதர் †(செப்டம்பர் 10)✠ டோலென்ட்டினோ நகர் புனிதர் நிக்கோலஸ் ✠(St. Nicholas of Tolentino)

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(செப்டம்பர் 10)

✠ டோலென்ட்டினோ நகர் புனிதர் நிக்கோலஸ் ✠

(St. Nicholas of Tolentino)

ஒப்புரவாளர்:

(Confessor)

பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 1246

இத்தாலி (Italy)

இறப்பு: செப்டம்பர் 10, 1305

ஏற்கும் சமயம்: 

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

புனிதர் பட்டம்: ஜூன் 5, 1446

திருத்தந்தை நான்காம் யூஜின்

(Pope Eugene IV)

நினைவுத் திருநாள்: செப்டம்பர் 10

பாதுகாவல்:

விலங்குகள், குழந்தைகள், படகோட்டிகள், “காபனடுவான்” மறைமாவட்டம் (Diocese of Cabanatuan), ஃபிலிப்பைன்ஸ், மரிக்கும் மக்கள், கப்பல் பணியாளர்கள், நோயுற்ற மிருகங்கள், உத்தரிய ஆன்மாக்கள், “டான்டாக் மறைமாவட்டம்” (Diocese of Tandag), “சுரிகாவோ நகர்” (Surigao City), “கனரி தீவு” (Canary Island), ஸ்பெயின் (Spain).

டோலென்ட்டினோவின் புனிதர் நிக்கோலஸ் ஒரு ஆன்ம பலம் கொண்டவரும், இத்தாலிய புனிதரும் ஆவார். இவர், உத்தரியத்திலுள்ள ஆன்மாக்களின் பாதுகாவலர் என்று அறியப்படுகிறார்.

18 வயதில் துறவறம் பெற்ற நிக்கோலஸ், ஏழு வருடங்கள் கழித்தே குருத்துவம் பெற்றார். மறை போதகம் செய்வதில் கீர்த்தி பெற்றிருந்த இவர், சிறந்த ஒப்புரவாளருமாவார்.

கி.பி. 1274ல், தமது பிறந்த ஊருக்கு அருகிலுள்ள டோலேன்ட்டினோ'வுக்கு அனுப்பப்பட்டார். அங்கே இரு பிரிவினரிடையே கலவரம் நடந்து கொண்டிருந்தது. ஆயருக்கு பக்கபலமாக “கேல்ப்ஸ்” (Guelphs) எனும் பிரிவினரும், ரோமப் பேரரசருக்கு ஆதரவாக “கிபெல்லின்ஸ்” (Ghibellines) எனும் பிரிவினரும் கலவரத்தில் ஈடுபட்டிருந்தனர். அங்கே அவர் சமாதான தூதுவராகப் பணி புரிந்தார்.

ஏழைகள் மற்றும் குற்ற செயல்களில் ஈடுபட்டிருந்தவர்க்கும் போதனை செய்தார். நோயுற்றோருக்காக இறைவனின் அதிதூய அன்னை கன்னி மரியாளிடம் ஜெபித்து ரொட்டித் துண்டுகளை வழங்கி அவர்களை குணமாக்கினார். அவருக்கு சம்மனசுக்களின் காட்சிகள் காணக் கிடைத்ததாகவும் கூறப்படுவதுண்டு. தொடர்ந்த நோன்புகள் நோற்கும் வழக்கம் கொண்ட நிக்கோலஸ், ஒருமுறை ஒரு வாரத்துக்கும் அதிகமாக நோன்பிருந்த வேளையில், அன்னை கன்னி மரியாளும், புனிதர் அகுஸ்தினாரும் காட்சியளித்து, சிலுவை அடையாளமிட்ட ரொட்டியை தண்ணீரில் நனைத்து உண்ணுமாறு கூறினர். நோன்புகளின் காரணமாக மிகவும் களைத்தும், பலவீனமாகவும் காணப்பட்ட நிக்கோலஸ், சிலுவை அடையாளமிட்ட ரொட்டிகளை தண்ணீரில் நனைத்து உண்டவுடன் புத்துணர்ச்சியும் புதிய பலமும் பெற்றார்.

ஏழைகளுக்கு உதவுவதிலும், சிறைச் சாலைகளுக்கு சென்று கைதிகளைக் கண்டு அவர்களுக்கு போதனைகள் செய்வதிலும் நோயுற்றோருக்காக கன்னி மரியாளிடம் ஜெபித்து ரொட்டி வழங்கி அவர்களை குணமாக்குவதிலும் வெற்றி கண்டார். அவருடைய இந்த வெற்றிகளுக்கான காரணம் என்னவென்று அவரிடம் கேட்கப்பட்டபோது, தாம் இறைவனின் ஒரு கருவியே என்றார்.

தமது இறுதி நாட்களில் நோயுற்று, அதிக வேதனையுற்ற நிக்கோலஸ், கி.பி. 1305ம் ஆண்டும், செப்டம்பர் மாதம், பத்தாம் தேதி மரணமடைந்தார். இவரது உடல் டோலென்ட்டினோ (Tolentino) நகரிலுள்ள "புனித நிக்கோலஸ் திருத்தலத்தில்" பாதுகாக்கப்படுகின்றது.

† Saint of the Day †

(September 10)

✠ St. Nicholas of Tolentino ✠

Confessor, Patron of Holy Souls, Mystic:

Born: 1246 AD

Italy

Died: September 10, 1305

Venerated in: Roman Catholic Church

Canonized: June 5, 1446

Pope Eugene IV

Feast: September 10

Patronage:

Animals; Babies; Boatmen; Diocese of Cabanatuan, Philippines; Dying People; Lambunao, Guimbal, Iloilo, Mariners; Diocese of Mati; Holy Souls; Sailors; Sick, Souls in Purgatory; Diocese of Tandag, Watermen; Patron Saint of Surigao City, La Huerta, Parañaque City and Buli and Cupang in Muntinlupa City, San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte a town named after St. Nicholas De Tolentino, Banton, Romblon in the Philippines; Patron Saint of La Aldea de San Nicolás in the island of Gran Canaria, Canary Island, Spain; Patron Saint of Capas, Tarlac.

St. Nicholas of Tolentino, known as the Patron of Holy Souls, was an Italian saint and mystic

Born in 1245 in Sant'Angelo, St. Nicholas of Tolentino took his name from St. Nicholas of Myra, at whose shrine his parents prayed to have a child. Nicholas became a monk at 18, and seven years later, he has ordained a priest. He gained a reputation as a preacher and a confessor. C. 1274, he was sent to Tolentino, near his birthplace. The town suffered from civil strife between the Guelphs, who supported the pope, and Ghibellines, who supported the Holy Roman Emperor, in their struggle for control of Italy. Nicholas was primarily a pastor to his flock. He ministered to the poor and the criminal. He is said to have cured the sick with bread over which he had prayed to Mary, the Mother of God. He gained a reputation as a wonder-worker. Nicholas died in 1305 after a long illness. People began immediately to petition for his canonization. Eugene IV canonized him in 1446, and his relics were rediscovered in 1926 at Tolentino.

A studious, kind and gentle youth, at the age of 16 Nicholas became an Augustinian Friar and was a student of the Blessed Angelus de Scarpetti. A monk at the monasteries at Recanati and Macerata as well as others, he was ordained in 1270 at the age of 25, and soon became known for his preaching and teachings. Nicholas, who had had visions of angels reciting "to Tolentino", in 1274 took this as a sign to move to that city, where he lived the rest of his life. Nicholas worked to counteract the decline of morality and religion which came with the development of city life in the late thirteenth century.

On account of his kind and gentle manner, his superiors entrusted him with the daily feeding of the poor at the monastery gates, but at times he was so free with the friary's provisions that the procurator begged the superior to check his generosity. Once, when weak after a long fast, he received a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Augustine, who told him to eat some bread marked with a cross and dipped in water. Upon doing so he was immediately stronger. He started distributing these rolls to the ailing, while praying to Mary, often curing the sufferers; this is the origin of the Augustinian custom of blessing and distributing Saint Nicholas Bread.

In Tolentino, Nicholas worked as a peacemaker in a city torn by strife between the Guelphs and Ghibellines who, in the conflict for control of Italy, supported the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor respectively. He ministered to his flock, helped the poor and visited prisoners. When working wonders or healing people, he always asked those he helped to "Say nothing of this", explaining that he was just God's instrument.

During his life, Nicholas is said to have received visions, including images of Purgatory, which friends ascribed to his lengthy fasts. Prayer for the souls in Purgatory was the outstanding characteristic of his spirituality. Because of this Nicholas was proclaimed patron of the souls in Purgatory, in 1884 by Leo XIII.

Born in answer to prayer, Nicholas of Tolentino became an Augustinian friar, gaining a reputation for working miracles and making peace. Tolentino had a name as a troubled town, but Nicholas brought it peace. Patrick Duffy tells his story.

His name a token of gratitude from his mother:

Nicholas was born in the town of Fermo in the Marche region of eastern Italy on the Adriatic. His parents were childless for six years. They prayed at the shrine of St Nicholas of Bari and in thanksgiving christened their son Nicholas.

St Nicholas’ bread for the sick and poor:

Nicholas joined the Augustinian friars at eighteen. He often fasted and performed other penances, spending long hours in prayer. Once, when severely ill, he had a vision of Mary, Augustine and Monica telling him to eat a certain type of bread roll that had been dipped in water and he recovered. He then began himself to bless and distribute this bread to the sick and poor, who were also healed. He became so enthusiastic about this that the prior accused him of squandering the community’s resources. He also had a reputation as a healer, even before he was ordained in 1269. The rolls became known as Saint Nicholas’s Bread, and are still distributed in his memory.

Peace to Tolentino:

After his ordination, Nicholas was stationed at a friary where he felt comfortable, but one day he heard a voice telling him, “To Tolentino, To Tolentino”. Tolentino was a town that was troubled by rival pro- and antipapal factions. Here he preached in the street and despite opposition and ridicule, he was able to restore peace to the town. He continued his lengthy fasts and received visions. He became known as a sympathetic confessor and for visiting the sick and poor.

Souls in purgatory:

Once, while asleep, a fellow friar who had died shortly before spoke to him from purgatory and urged him to celebrate the Eucharist for him and other souls there, so that they would be set free by the power of Christ. Nicholas did so for seven days. The friar again spoke to Nicholas, thanking him and assuring him that a large number of souls were now with God. Because of this Nicholas was proclaimed patron of the souls in Purgatory.

Death and influence:

Nicholas died on 10th September 1305. Pope Eugene IV canonized him in 1446, and his relics were rediscovered at Tolentino in 1926.

In the Augustinian Church of St John the Baptist and St Augustine (John’s Lane) in Thomas Street, Dublin, behind the high altar there is a stained glass window depicting St Nicholas of Tolentino in red vestments celebrating Mass for the souls in purgatory also depicted  – with one soul being escorted into heaven.