There
was a couple in Constantinople who had always had a special love for Saint
Nicholas. Each feast day they celebrated with special food, wine, holy bread,
and candles. Now that they were old, and no longer able to work, they were very
poor. The man asked his wife how they could get money to buy what was needed.
She took an old carpet, saying, "Here is our last posession. Sell it and
then buy all we need to show our gratitude to God and Saint Nicholas." The
old man took the rug and set off to the marketplace.
Arriving
at the market, a distinguised looking nobleman asked how much the rug cost. The
man told him what it cost when new, saying he'd take whatever he could get for
it. The nobleman gave him six gold pieces—much more than the man expected—took
the rug and left. People near the man were puzzled as he seemed to be talking
to himself. After purchasing the needed items, the man headed home.
Meanwhile,
back at the house, a distinguished looking man approached the woman, "Take
this rug. Your husband is an old friend of mine and I met him at the
marketplace today." And he gave her the carpet.
When
the man returned, his wife accused him of not selling the carpet, "How
could you break your promise and not sell this rug?" "Who gave the
rug to you?" he asked. She described the man, and he realized it was the
same person who'd bought the rug. The man, realizing it must have been a
miracle, exclaimed, "The Lord liveth! The man who bought the carpet from
me and brought it back to our poor home, is indeed St. Nicholas, for a man saw
me talking to him and asked if I saw an apparition, for the saint was
invisible." He showed his wife what he'd bought—food, wine, holy bread,
candles—and the left-over money.
Rejoicing,
they hurried to the church of St. Nicholas to tell the Patriarch all that had
happened. After hearing the story, the Patriarch gave the couple a generous
life pension. They returned home for a fine St. Nicholas feast with hymn
singing and prayers of thanksgiving.
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