April 23rd is St. George’s Day. Saint George was a Roman soldier who was martyred in AD 303 by the Emperor Diocletian. He willingly took a stand for his faith in Jesus Christ by speaking out against the persecutions of his fellow Christians. I imagine that he hoped his rank as an officer would give weight to his objections and that he could help those who had no one to defend them. He was wrong. Not only was he arrested, but he was tortured for 3 days and then put to death.
This act of his bravery inspired the Church. The legend of St. George slaying the dragon to rescue the maiden grew up in the Middle Ages from that inspiration. Today he is the patron saint of England and soldiers. As a Marine, whose motto is “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful), I am inspired to follow in the example of St. George and be prepared to serve my Lord Jesus Christ in whatever it is that He calls me to do.
Here is a Prayer for St. George’s Day:
“Almighty God, who gave your servant George boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
Finally, for some fun inspiration, here is the speech from Shakespeare’s “Henry the Vth.” The battle takes place on St. Crispin’s Day, and not St. George’s, but the speech is worthy of the courage he had and the courage we need to engage in the spiritual battle we find ourselves in:
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1 Stewart Black // Apr 23, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Earlier today I noticed on my wall calendar that this was St. George’s Day; and I thought, “I’ll have to e-mail Shane!” Then, I got your e-mail and read this excellent entry regarding St. George.
Sometimes I believe that those of us who are not “high-church” Protestants tend to throw out the baby with the bathwater regarding those honored as “Saints”. In an effort to emphasize the sainthood of all believers, we often neglect to honor the heroes of our faith! Not only do our children need heroes; we do too.
Thanks, too, for the St. Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V! I can never listen to that speech without tears welling up in my eyes. It is great!
2 Joseph Daniels // Apr 23, 2008 at 6:34 pm
This is a great story of two saints, ancient and modern. Just thinking about Saints George and Jeff at this very moment sitting together in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ as true Christian brothers encourages me to muster up the kind of character they had. I want to live faithfully, courageously, and without regard for present comforts in my own life, too. What a heartening article! I will be thinking about it for days and months to come.
3 mara // Feb 19, 2009 at 7:18 pm
It is important that more people join the Royal Society of Saint George so that more people know who he was and what he stands for, he should be one of our heros.
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