Papa-Nicholas Planas: The Simple Shepherd of the Simple Sheep; The Life and Endeavors of the Priest Nicholas Planas, Written by His Disciple the Nun Martha, with Letters and Pious Recollections of Several Christians Who Knew Him, and a Foreword by Photios Kontoglou
Translated from the Greek by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery
“The life of such a man is a great and soul-saving example for us in these present times when sin has mushroomed, and when men have become so accustomed to all manner of lasciviousness that they are completely ‘past feeling.’ In the darkest times, when the radiant face of God is hidden from the eyes of men, His love of mankind reveals in our midst one whom He has sent to establish us in the Faith by his manner of life, even though he may not speak many words. One thus sent was Papa Planas, who neither knew letters, nor had the easy speech of those whom the world is wont to call ‘theologians,’ who study in universities and other schools and receive diplomas. The mark of Orthodoxy is simplicity of heart which brings faith. And wherever there exist true and unshakeable faith, there are revealed all the spiritual graces and gifts of God.” —“Foreword”
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE OF THE PUBLISHERS OF THE GREEK EDITION FOREWORD INTRODUCTION SAYINGS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE WHICH BEFIT FATHER NICHOLAS PLANAS AND HIS SYNODIA 1 / The Life and Endeavors of the Priest Nicholas Planas Written by His Disciple, the Nun Martha 1. The birth of Papa-Nicholas 2. His ordination 3. He sees Saint Panteleimon 4. His Liturgies 5. His fasts 6. His “invoices and contracts” 7. The vision of the lawyer 8. The punishment of the caretaker 9. His patience and tolerance 10. The calendar 11. A lesson for the carriage-driver 12. The vision which the little boy saw 13. A light above his head 14. “Don’t put out the light, my Father!” 15. His lack of concern for money 16. “I don’t want your money; only your blessing!” 17. The lady who wanted to test him 18. The poison he drank without harm 19. The healing of Papa Dimitri 20. The appearance of Saints John & Panteleimon 21. The appearance of the Angel 22. In, but not of, the world 23. How he used to behave towards rich and poor 24. Liturgical majesty 25. The prosphoron of the Angel 26. “It’s the Bishop-Martyr Phocas!...” 27. The wondrous cure 28. The correction of vainglory 29. The Communion of the leper 30. Most fervent zeal and holy patience 31. A comfort and a refuge 32. The family which found its lost son 33. The honor and love of his parishioners 34. He prayed that they would let him pray 35. Secret Liturgies 36. He solves the difficulties of the faithful 37. The surprise of the carriage-driver 38. One of the achievements of his patience 39. His being set aside at the Vigil & his long-suffering 40. The punishment of the priest 41. Those present and those absent in the Liturgy 42. The tamed beast 43. How he used to behave towards his concelebrants 44. His thirst for prayer 45. The appearance of Prophet Elisseus 46. The confidence that his faith gave him 47. Above scandals 48. The carter who was benefited 49. Help and light from Heaven 50. Imitation of the Holy Fathers 51. “Not even enough for his carriage!” 52. “From now on you shall have no more pain” 53. “My steps do Thou direct...” 54. His final days on earth 55. “The capital city will undergo tribulations...” 56. And his disciple 57. Some miracles II / Passages From Letters of Mother Martha a Nun, Which Supplement the Preceding Biographical Notes III / Pious Recollections of Several Christians Who Knew Him 1. The holy priest with the gift of clairvoyance 2. The Unforgettable appearance of a Saint 3. “He isn’t walking on the ground!” 4. Two events 5. One of his spiritual children 6. “Look how high up the priest is!” 7. Alekos the chanter 8. “And all Thy Saints...!” EPILOGUE APPENDIX GLOSSARY EPILOGUE TO THE SECOND ENGLISH PRINTING A SERVICE TO PAPA-NICHOLAS
Item Number: BKHT345 Publication Data: Boston, MA: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 2001 Format: softcover Number of Pages: lviii + 150 Dimensions (l × w × h): 19.6 cm × 13.4 cm × 1.4 cm Additional Information: two-color printing, black-and-white illustrations ISBN: 0‒913026‒18‒2
