When he was still a boy, Saint Nectarius of Aegina, born into a poor family, traveled to Constantinople for work. Though he found a job with a tobacco merchant, he still experienced great want. His trust in God, however, never wavered. One day he wrote a letter addressed “To the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven” asking for an apron and shoes. A friendly merchant who met him on the way to the post office offered to mail the letter on behalf of the boy. Seeing the unusual addressee, the merchant ended up opening the letter and sending the young saint an anonymous envelope with money for his needs. In other words, Christ did send the little boy the money he needed, and the Lord did so by means of one of his servants on the earth. If we wish to be called good and faithful servants of the merciful God who loves and befriends mankind, let us go and do likewise, becoming responsive to our neighbor’s needs and the Lord’s promptings.
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