Feast Day ~ December 5
The month of December is filled with the feast days of many well-known saints: Nicholas, Ambrose, Barbara, the Apostle Thomas, etc. But there are also feast days for local saints whose deeds were known only to those who came in contact with them and whose holiness of living can be attested to only by their contemporaries. St. Nicetus of Tours is such a saint.
We have the writings of St. Gregory of Tours to thank for enriching our repository of examples and intercessors for aid in living our lives as Christians. St. Gregory’s History of the Franks reveals the very low moral standards of life and the thin veneer of “social” Christianity among the Franks in the 6th century, so when he wrote about true Christians of his time and a little earlier, we should pay attention. Our society is much like that of St. Gregory’s time and we need to keep our hearts and minds focused on those who will lead us in the right direction.
St. Gregory begins his narration of St. Nicetus’ life with an amusing anecdote from his infancy. His parents, noticing that the baby was bald on the top of his head but had a circle of fine hair around the sides, decided that he must be destined for the religious life as he already had a monk’s tonsure! Consequently, they entrusted his education to a local monastery where the child learned to love God as well as the literature and mathematics of this life. It would be good for all Christian parents to make certain that their children are educated in the ways of God and discover that he is the source of all learning.
As was expected, Nicetus entered the monastery at the appropriate age and became a monk of that community. His progress in the ascetic life was so great that when the abbot died, Nicetus was elected to succeed him. He ruled the monastery with love and discipline, reminding the monks that their thoughts, words, and deeds were to be directed toward the praise of God. We would do well to follow this same principle in our own lives rather than spending time on the pleasures and entertainments of this world.
Abbott Nicetus was just as truthful with King Theodoric as with his monks, correcting his sins and calling him to repentance. As a consequence, the king admired and respected Nicetus and when the city of Trier needed a bishop, the king proposed Nicetus and all the people gave their consent. As he was being escorted by a royal entourage to Trier, the newly-appointed bishop showed another of his traits which is to be emulated. Stopping to rest along the way, the royal retainers sent their horses into the fields of the poor peasants to graze, but Nicetus demanded that they call the horses back. He would not sanction the destruction of the crops of the poor for the convenience of the royal household. It is our duty as Christians – as commanded by our Lord and exemplified by saints such as Nicetus – to be compassionate and charitable to the poor.
After the death of King Theodoric, his son Theodebert proved to be a very different ruler who flaunted his power in disrespecting the bishop and disregarding the precepts of the Church. Bishop Nicetus found it necessary to excommunicate the king and his friends who were adulterers and even murderers. One Sunday, as Nicetus was beginning Mass in his cathedral, the king entered with some of these excommunicated friends. The bishop carried on the service through the readings and the Offertory, but then stopped and demanded that the king and his friends be removed before he would continue. There was a dramatic moment when a young boy in the congregation suddenly cried out as if possessed by a demon, exposing the sins of the king and his friends who then left the church. Afterward, the bishop’s healing touch returned the boy to his normal self and from then on, the king was much more receptive to the ministry of Bishop Nicetus. We would do well to beware of treating the commandments and the teachings of Christ lightly, of neglecting to repent of our sins and instead, continuing our willful ways.
St. Nicetus had the gift of foreknowledge (often given through dreams). When he attempted to exercise the discipline of the church with King Clothaire, the king exiled him from Trier. Most of the other clergy shunned Nicetus in their efforts to curry favor with the king, but it had been revealed to the saint that this exile would not last. The next day, a messenger came to him with letters stating that King Clothaire was dead and that Sigibert, the new king, would welcome the bishop back. So St. Nicetus returned to Trier, graciously forgiving those who had abandoned him. We should not dismiss what appears to be miraculous, as God does still work miracles. We should also be forgiving toward those who have wronged us.
When he was able to heal someone, St. Nicetus’ method was to pray and make the sign of the Cross. He always told those he had helped to attribute the miracle to the power of God and not to him. As baptized Christians, we have been signed with the most sacred sign of the Cross and we should make it as we pray throughout each day. It is our protection against evil, a comfort in our trials, and a reminder of our salvation. We should also give thanks to God for all the benefits we receive in this life.
In the year 566, St. Nicetus had a vision of St. Paul and St. John the Baptist who invited him to take eternal rest and offered him a crown of jewels to represent what good things he would receive in the Kingdom of God. Shortly afterward, the bishop passed to that eternal rest. Like St. Nicetus, may we avoid the distractions of the world which lead us away from God, may we be concerned for the welfare of the poor, may we be forgiving of our enemies, may we be attuned to the miracles which God works, may we keep the sign of the holy Cross ever before us, and may we remember that everything is from God and give him thanks. Holy Nicetus, pray for us.
These details of the life of St. Nicetus are taken from Vita Patrum: The Life of the Fathers by St. Gregory of Tours, as translated by Fr. Seraphim Rose and published by the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1988.