In the name of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, One True God. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus
Through the many years of Christianity, there has been many saints who stood firm in their faith for Christ and proclaimed their undivided faith in the face of many trials and temptations of the world. One among those saints is St. George, the Triumphant, Trophy-bearer, Wonder-worker and Martyr. He is one of the most venerated saints across the Orthodox Churches around the world and also among the Roman Catholic Church. He is also the patron saint of England. St. George, the Martyr is commemorated on April 23. Feasts are held in many churches across of the world commemorating the great saint. But through the years of Christendom, many truthful facts regarding St. George has become vague knowledge among the believers and many hold onto the myths regarding the saint. Let us try to learn more about the saint in this blog and try to gain strength from his courage and learn to stand straight in our faith in Christ.
You can also enjoy the informative video on the life of St. George
Life of St. George
Very little is known about the life of the Martyr St. George but he was a native of Cappadocia (modern day Turkey) and he grew up in deeply believing Christian family. His family was one of the wealthy families, with his father being a soldier in the Roman Empire and his mother owning vast lands in Palestine. His father was martyred for Christ while he was still a child. After the martyrdom of her husband, George’s mother moved to Palestine with her son and raised him in strict piety.
When he attained the age of adulthood, St. George following in the footsteps of his father joined the Roman army. He was a brave and valiant soldier and he came to the notice of the Roman Emperor Diocletian (284-305 AD) and he was enrolled within the imperial guard with the rank of military commander. The emperor being a follower of the pagan gods was concerned with the danger presented to the pagan civilization by the spread of the Christian faith and the unrest it caused among the pagans. In his efforts to curb the spread, the emperor intensified his persecution against the Christians during the final years of his reign. The emperor, on the advice of the Senate at Nicomedia, granted full freedom and promised full support to all his governors in their court proceedings against Christians.
St. George on hearing about the decision of the emperor, appeared before the Senate after distributing all his wealth to the poor and freeing all his servants. The brave soldier spoke out openly against the decisions of the emperor. He also boldly confessed himself a Christian and appealed everyone to acknowledge Christ:
I am a servant of Christ, my God, and trusting in Him, I have come among you voluntarily, to bear witness concerning the Truth.”
Echoing the question of Pontius Pilate, one among the Senate asked, “What is Truth?”, to which the saint boldly replied:
Christ Himself, Whom you persecuted, is Truth.”
The emperor who was fond of the valiant soldier, was stunned by his bold speech and confession of his faith. He attempted to persuade him to recant his faith and not throw away the glory, honor and prestige the saint held, but rather to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods as was the Roman custom. St. George replied thus:
Nothing in this inconstant life can weaken my resolve to serve God.”
On hearing this reply, the emperor was enraged and ordered his soldiers to take away the saint on spear point and imprison him. But the steel spears on touching the body of the saint became soft and caused him no harm. In prison they put the martyr’s feet in stocks and placed a heavy stone on his chest. The next during interrogation, St. George held firm to his faith and answered the emperor’
You will grow tired of tormenting me sooner than I will tire of being tormented by you.”
The emperor being enraged by the reply of St. George ordered him to be subjected to intense tortures. They tied the saint to a wheel, beneath which were boards pierced with sharp pieces of iron. As the wheel turned, the sharp edges slashed the saint’s naked body. At first the sufferer loudly cried out to the Lord, but soon he quieted down, and did not utter even a single groan. Diocletian decided that the tortured one was already dead, and he gave orders to remove the battered body from the wheel, and then went to a pagan temple to offer thanks.
At this very moment it got dark, thunder boomed, and a voice was heard: “Fear not, George, for I am with you.” Then a wondrous light shone, and at the wheel an angel of the Lord appeared in the form of a radiant youth. He placed his hand upon the martyr, saying to him, “Rejoice!” Saint George stood up healed. When the soldiers led him to the pagan temple where the emperor was, the emperor could not believe his own eyes and he thought that he saw before him some other man or even a ghost. In confusion and in terror the pagans looked Saint George over carefully, and they became convinced that a miracle had occurred. Many then came to believe in the Life-Creating God of the Christians.
Two illustrious officials, Saints Anatolius and Protoleon, who were secretly Christians, openly confessed Christ on seeing the persecutions borne by St. George. Immediately, without a trial, they were beheaded with the sword by order of the emperor. The emperor became furious on losing the battle in influencing the saint to recant his faith and he gave over the saint to more fierce torments. St. George was thrown into a deep pit and was covered with lime. Three days later, when they dug him out found him cheerful and unharmed. They shod the saint in iron sandals with red-hot nails, and then drove him back to the prison with whips. In the morning they found him cheerful and with healed feet. Then they beat him with ox thongs until pieces of his flesh came off and his blood soaked the ground, but the brave sufferer, strengthened by the power of God, remained unyielding.
The emperor coming to the end of his wits on ways to persecute the glorious saint, tried to poison him with the help of a sorcerer named Athanasius. But the poison had no effect on him and the saint continued to denounce the pagan superstitions and glorify God as before. The emperor tempted St. George to do the same miracles as what Jesus had done during His public ministry and the saint empowered by the Holy Spirit was able to bring a dead man back to life. Having seen the power of Christ, many people wept and repented of their pagan ways and glorified Christ. Many people started to visit St. George in the prison and accepted Christ as their Master.
The exploits and the miracles of the Great Martyr George had increased the number of the Christians, therefore Diocletian made a final attempt to compel the saint to offer sacrifice to the idols. They set up a court at the pagan temple of Apollo. On the final night the holy martyr prayed fervently, and as he slept, he saw the Lord, Who raised him up with His hand, and embraced him. The Savior placed a crown on Saint George’s head and said, “Fear not, but have courage, and you will soon come to Me and receive what has been prepared for you.”
In the morning, the emperor offered to make Saint George his co-administrator, second only to himself. The holy martyr with a feigned willingness answered, “Caesar, you should have shown me this mercy from the very beginning, instead of torturing me. Let us go now to the temple and see the gods you worship.” Diocletian believed that the martyr was accepting his offer, and he followed him to the pagan temple with his retinue and all the people. Everyone was certain that Saint George would offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint went up to the idol, made the Sign of the Cross and addressed it as if it were alive: “Are you the one who wants to receive from me sacrifice befitting God?”
The demon inhabiting the idol cried out, “I am not a god and none of those like me is a god, either. The only God is He Whom you preach. We are fallen angels, and we deceive people because we are jealous.”
Saint George cried out, “How dare you remain here, when I, the servant of the true God, have entered?” Then noises and wailing were heard from the idols, and they fell to the ground and were shattered.
There was general confusion. In a frenzy, pagan priests and many of the crowd seized the holy martyr, tied him up, and began to beat him. They also called for his immediate execution. The holy empress Alexandra tried to reach him. Pushing her way through the crowd, she cried out, “O God of George, help me, for You Alone are All-Powerful.” At the feet of the Great Martyr the holy empress confessed Christ, Who had humiliated the idols and those who worshiped them.
Diocletian immediately pronounced the death sentence on the Great Martyr George and the holy Empress Alexandra, who followed Saint George to execution without resisting. Along the way she felt faint and slumped against a wall. There she surrendered her soul to God.
Saint George gave thanks to God and prayed that he would also end his life in a worthy manner. At the place of execution the saint prayed that the Lord would forgive the torturers who acted in ignorance, and that He would lead them to the knowledge of Truth. Calmly and bravely, the holy Great Martyr George bent his neck beneath the sword, receiving the crown of martyrdom on April 23, 303.
The pagan era was coming to an end, and Christianity was about to triumph. Within ten years, Saint Constantine (May 21) would issue the Edict of Milan, granting religious freedom to Christians.
St. George and the Dragon
Of the many miracles worked by the holy Great Martyr George, the most famous are depicted in iconography. St. George is often depicted with a dragon or some other serpentine creature under his feet. This comes from a legend whose details may vary according to local tradition. In the saint’s native city of Beirut were many idol-worshipers. Outside the city, near Mount Lebanon, was a large lake, inhabited by an enormous dragon-like serpent. Coming out of the lake, it devoured people, and there was nothing anyone could do, since the breath from its nostrils poisoned the very air.
On the advice of the demons inhabiting the idols, the local ruler came to a decision. Each day the people would draw lots to feed their own children to the serpent, and he promised to sacrifice his only daughter when his turn came. That time did come, and the ruler dressed her in her finest attire, then sent her off to the lake. The girl wept bitterly, awaiting her death. Unexpectedly for her, Saint George rode up on his horse with spear in hand. The girl implored him not to leave her, lest she perish.
The saint signed himself with the Sign of the Cross. He rushed at the serpent saying, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Saint George pierced the throat of the serpent with his spear and trampled it with his horse. Then he told the girl to bind the serpent with her sash, and lead it into the city like a dog on a leash.
The people fled in terror, but the saint halted them with the words: “Don’t be afraid, but trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him, since it is He Who sent me to save you.” Then the saint killed the serpent with a sword, and the people burned it outside the city. Twenty-five thousand men, not counting women and children, were then baptized. Later, a church was built and dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Great Martyr George.
May the life of St. George be an example for us in our journey to attain the crown given by Christ. May he always be a guide unto our path and help us stand firm in our faith in our Master Christ Jesus. May the intercession of St. George and all the other saints be a stronghold for us.
Your brother in Christ Jesus
Jobin George
Source:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George
- https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2018/04/23/101184-greatmartyr-victory-bearer-and-wonderworker-george
- https://orthodoxwiki.org/George_the_Trophy-bearer
