Today (April 23) is the feast of St. George, a saint very highly revered in former ages, whose undaunted battle with evil should inspire us still today.
St. George was a soldier tortured and martyred for the faith in Lydda around the start of the 4th century. According to old tradition, he was a chivalrous warrior who battled an evil dragon or monstrous serpent (serpents are always associated with evil because Satan took on serpent’s form in Genesis). George aimed to save a young woman who was being sacrificed to the beast to appease its hunger. George crossed himself and charged the vicious creature.
Emerging from the battle victorious, George then gave an eloquent sermon on the faith to the locals, who converted. The saint is said to have been given a monetary reward which he gave to the poor in its entirety. George has since been claimed as a patron by many areas and countries, including England, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Portugal, Georgia, Moscow, Lebanon, Romania, Genoa, Syria, Constantinople, Aragon, Catalonia, Venice, Alcoi, and Rio de Janeiro. He was hugely popular in the medieval era, and is one of the 14 Holy Helpers. The cross of St. George is incorporated into England’s national flag and the Order of the Garter.
While we might never be called upon to fight a dragon or even take up physical arms, all of us have to battle against sin, temptation, and evil. As St. Paul wrote (Eph. 6:12), “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.” Let us vow on this St. George’s Day that we, like him, will endeavor always to do good and to combat evil, both in the material and spiritual orders, no matter how great the risks are or how formidable our foes.
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Author: Catherine Salgado
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