There is no more beloved saint, among Orthodox Christians or throughout the world, than Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. He was not a bishop in an important see; he left behind no writings, no theological legacy; he did not compose an anaphora; he did not travel as a missionary, found a new local church, build a great cathedral, or start an important monastery. What he did do, and does do, is reveal in his works the very love of Jesus Christ. Like his Master, he frees prisoners, saves from storms, and gives generously. He does these things as they relate to the body, but also as they relate to the soul.
Holy hierarch, father Nicholas, pray to God for us, so that we might be delivered from every bodily danger and want and also set free from the prison of passion, saved from the storm of this age, and made worthy to receive, by no worthiness of ours, the immeasurably generous gift of the Lord: eternal fellowship and a place in the kingdom of heaven. Amen.