"The rule of faith and the image of meekness ..." - these are the initial words from the troparion to Nikolai Lycia, or, as he is often called, to the Miracle Worker, the Pleasant. People who are not particularly versed in the intricacies of church terms, the order of worship, and simply in specific names, troparia are often confused with collections of prayers.
What is troparia?
Troparion is a solemn and rather short chant with a prayer implication. The words reveal the contents of an event, describe the life, deeds, and merits of the saint. Of course, in these chants the saint is glorified to whom they are dedicated or called to help.
However, one does not exclude the other, in a hymn the saint can be simultaneously praised and called. The texts also often contain requests for mercy, participation, teaching, or express other human aspirations.
The peculiarity of troparia is that its text is always as short as possible. It can be only a few lines, no longer than a quatrain. This term is used only in Orthodoxy; in the Catholic tradition, such short texts are called differently - “collective”.
About troparia Nicholas the Wonderworker
“The rule of faith and the image of meekness, temperance ...” - it is no accident that one of the most famous troparia begins with these words to the saint.
According to the preserved testimonies of Nikolai’s life, he was for others a stronghold, a “rule” or an example in faith, a model of meekness and other virtues. Probably, it was thanks to the pious way of life, sincerity in thoughts and fortress in the faith that the future saint was endowed with the gift of wonderworking from above.
As for the texts of the Troparia, most of them are quite old and composed in Greek. Accordingly, their translation was also carried out for a very long time. That is, the texts are filled with words and speech turns, which are little understood by modern man. Perhaps partly for this reason, too, the troparia is widely regarded as a variation of prayer.
In the troparion, which begins with the words "The rule of faith and the image of meekness ..." the saint is praised. It is emphasized that meekness in speeches testifies to calmness, serenity of spirit, and clarity of gaze and face - to kindness and compassion. He is called a teacher who leads people to faith. The troparion ends with a request to the saint for intercession and a prayer to Christ for mercy and salvation of the soul.