samedi 26 novembre 2016

Saint NIKON METANOÏÈTE, moine et confesseur

Saint Nikon le Métanoïète

Moine en Grèce ( 998)

En Arménie, surnommé le "métanoïète" ce qui signifie "convertissez-vous" (metanoia en grec) car il prêchait le repentir.

À Sparte dans le Péloponnèse, en 998, saint Nikon, moine. Après avoir mené en Asie la vie cénobitique et érémitique, il trouva un champ d'apostolat dans l'île de Crète, qui venait d'être libérée du joug des Sarrasins et qu'il fallait ramener aux mœurs chrétiennes par un zèle évangélique. De là, il parcourut la Grèce, prêchant la pénitence, et mourut dans le monastère qu'il avait construit à Sparte.
Martyrologe romain



Saint Nikon le Métanoïète (+998)

26 novembre

Il naquit en Arménie. Poussé par les paroles du Seigneur : "Celui qui quitte père ou mère recevra au centuple, et héritera la vie éternelle". (Matt. 19,29), Nikon quitta en effet tout pour l'amour du Christ et entra au monastère, où il devint moine. Ayant atteint la perfection dans toutes les vertus, il quitta le monastère et partit prêcher l'Evangile au peuple. Il criait sans cesse "Repentez-vous!", et dès lors fut appelé "le prêcheur de la Repentance' (d'où son nom "métanoïete"). En tant que prédicateur, il parcourut toute l'Anatolie et le Péloponèse, accomplisant beaucoup de merveilles au Nom du Christ. Il partit en paix vers son bien-aimé Seigneur, à Sparte, en 998.


Nikon Metanoite (RM)

(also known as Nicon)

Born in Pontus (now in Armenia); died in Peloponnesus, Greece, in 998. Nikon received his surname from the Greek 'metanoia' (change of heart) because penance was always the theme of his preaching. In his youth, he secretly ran away from his wealthy family to an Armenian monastery called Khrysopetro (Stone of God), where he engaged in austere penance and humble prayer for 12 years. The purity of his love of God when he spoke about virtue caused his superiors to send him out into the world to preach the Word of God as a missionary, first in Armenia and later on the Saracen-held island of Crete for 20 years, then in Greece.

SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1126.shtml

In imitation of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Nikon began every sermon with a call to conversion and the necessity for sincere repentance and penance. He taught that earnest prayer, mortification, alms, and holy meditation are needed to allow the resolution of conversion to take root in the heart. The sweetness with which Nikon recommended the most severe maxims of the Gospel, made our faith appear amiable to the Islamics themselves. The words he preached were confirmed by many miracles (Attwater 2, Benedictines, Coulson, Husenbeth).




November 26

St. Nicon, Surnamed Metanoite, Confessor

NICON, a native of Pontus, and of a noble family, in his youth fled privately from his friends to monastery called the stone of God, where he lived twelve years in the practice of the most austere penance and humble prayer, by which he studied perfectly to die to himself. His heart became quite penetrated with holy compunction and the purest love of God, and he spoke on virtue with an unction which pierced the souls of those that heard him discourse on heavenly things. The incredible spiritual fruit which his conferences and private exhortations produced, induced his superiors to employ him in preaching the word of God to the people. This office he exercised in quality of apostolic missionary in most parts of Armenia, and afterwards passed into Crete, which island was then in the hands of the Saracens. Penance was the great duty which the saint announced to the people in imitation of St. John Baptist, and he began all his sermons with these words: Metanoite, or do penance; whence this surname was given him. The necessity and obligation that all men lie under of doing penance, he inculcated according to the maxims of the gospel; and he excellently explained the conditions of sincere repentance. For thousands and thousands befool themselves, and mock God in this point, when, by venting a few sighs and groans they persuade themselves that they have repented, though their hearts all the while deceive them. A true penitent must apply himself to the difficult work of self-examination by a strict scrutiny into, and survey of, the whole state of his soul in order to discover every latent inordinate affection or passion. He must pursue sin home to his inclinations, and dislodge it thence; otherwise all he does will be to little purpose; so long as the root of sin remains lurking in the affections, it will shoot out again, and God who sees it there, pays no regard to lying vows and protestations. By earnest prayer, mortification, alms, and holy meditation the penitential sorrow must be improved, till it has forced its way into the very innermost corners and recesses of the soul, shaken all the powers of sin, and formed that new creature which is little understood among Christians, though the very essence of a Christian life. By teaching penitents thus to lay the axe to the very root of sin, St. Nicon had the comfort to see many wonderful conversions wrought amongst Christians, by which the face of religion seemed changed amongst them through the whole island. The saint, fearing lest the infant-principles of conversion might be stifled and overlaid by the cares of the world, was infinitely solicitous to engage penitents to cut off and renounce all occasions of sin, to strengthen their souls in the fervent practice of all virtues and good works, and to cultivate the seeds of piety which the divine grace had sown in them. The sweetness with which the holy preacher recommended the most severe maxims of the gospel, made our faith appear amiable to the Mahometans themselves. After having preached in Crete almost twenty years, and settled all the churches of that island in good order, he passed to the continent in Europe, and announced the divine word in Peloponnesus, Achaia, Epirus, and other parts of Greece, confirming his doctrine with miracles. He died in a monastery in Peloponnesus in 998, and is honoured both in the Greek and Roman Calendars. See his authentic life in Baronius Annal. t. 10.

Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73).  Volume XI: November. The Lives of the Saints.  1866.





San Nicone Monaco


Martirologio Romano: A Sparta nel Peloponneso in Grecia, san Nicone, monaco, che, dopo aver condotto in Asia vita cenobitica ed eremitica, si adoperò con zelo evangelico per riportare i costumi cristiani nell’isola di Creta liberata dal giogo dei Saraceni e percorse poi la Grecia per predicarvi la penitenza, finché morì nel monastero di Sparta da lui fondato.

Nicone, detto il «Fate penitenza», nacque nel 925, nella provincia del Ponto Polemoniaco (Asia Minore), presso i confini del «tema armeno» e ciò ha erroneamente fatto dire che era armeno. Ancora giovane, fuggì dalla casa paterna per ritirarsi nel monastero della «Roccia d’oro» ai confini della Paflagonia e del Ponto. Ivi visse dodici anni praticando una rigorosa ascesi.

Quando suo padre lo ritrovò, il santo ripartì diretto verso Occidente e visse per tre anni nel deserto. Percorreva le campagne per invitare i cristiani a una più intensa vita religiosa, insisteva sul dovere della penitenza, riassunto nella formula: Metanoeite (= fate penitenza), che gli valse il suo soprannome.

Dopo la liberazione di Creta dal giogo arabo (960) si recò in quell’isola per ridestare i sentimenti cristiani che la dominazione musulmana aveva fortemente sopiti; quivi incontrò forti opposizioni, ma ottenne anche serie conversioni.

Dopo sette anni, si recò nella Grecia continentale percorrendo diverse province per continuare sua predicazione; si stabilì quindi a Sparta-Lacedemonia. Aiutato dallo stratega del Peloponneso, Basilio Apocaucos e dal metropolita di Lacedemonia, Teopempto, Nicone evangelizzò non soltanto la città, ma le regioni vicine e lavorò a convertire gli slavi ancora pagani che si erano istallati un secolo prima sulla catena del Taigeto. A Sparta Nicone fece costruire tre chiese tra cui quella più importante dedicata al Salvatore, presso cui fondò un monastero che prese il suo nome.

Morì il 26 novembre 998, giorno in cui è festeggiato nella Chiesa bizantina ed è divenuto il patrono di Sparta.

La sua storia è nota attraverso due indumenti di epoca moderna. 

A Nicone sono stati attribuiti diversi scritti di cui uno solo è autentico. Si tratta del Testamento, in cui egli descrive la sua attività a Sparta e dà i suoi consigli ai monaci e ai fedeli. Lo hanno riprodotto il Lampros dopo la Vita e il Galanopoulos. Due Uffici del santo sono stati pubblicati a Sparta 1875 e nel 1904.

Autore: 
Raymond Janin



http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/79210
http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/79210