2023-04-23 07:01:00
April 23, 2023 / 12:01 a.m.
Every April 23, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint George, a saint from the first centuries of Christianity, whose devotion has spread universally.
Saint George’s fame grew during the High Middle Ages, and today he continues to evoke, as before, many aspects of Christian virtue, especially those necessary to face the daily fight against the Evil One: courage and strength.
Saint George was a Roman soldier converted to faith in Jesus Christ who ended up being executed in Nicomedia because of his faith. It is believed that he was beheaded, which is why he is counted among the martyrs. He lived between the years circa 275-280 and 303.
Many refer to Saint George as “the saint of Pope Francis”, due to the devotion that the Supreme Pontiff has professed to him for many years. Saint George is also Patron of Cavalry Weapons of the Army of Argentina, the Pope’s native country.
Protector in the fight against evil
Saint George was born in Lydda, Palestine, the land of Jesus. His father was a highly esteemed farmer. He entered the Roman Imperial Army and, thanks to his charisma and leadership skills, quickly rose through the ranks.
Legend has it that when the saint arrived in a city in the East he found a gigantic lizard (or perhaps an alligator or crocodile) that used to attack the towns and was believed to have devoured some of the inhabitants. No one dared to face him.
When Saint George heard about him, he searched for him, confronted him and defeated him. Filled with admiration for what happened, the locals heard Jorge thank God and invoke the name of Jesus Christ for victory, after which many of them converted to Christianity.
The final victory will be Christ’s
At that time, Emperor Diocletian – under whose command George was – began a persecution against Christians. Upon learning that George and other soldiers had converted, he ordered everyone to worship Roman idols and forbade reverence of Jesus Christ. Jorge declared that he would never stop loving the Lord Jesus, his God, and that he would never change him for any idol.
The refusal produced a violent reaction from the emperor, who sentenced him to death. At the time of his martyrdom, they took him to the temple of idols to see if he would repent of his position and finally worship them, but Jorge did not back down.
The saint was then martyred. As they whipped him, he began to remember the whippings that were given to Jesus, and that He never opened His mouth to utter complaint or insult. For this reason, Jorge suffered the cruel punishments in silence.
The people who saw him were impressed by his strength and said: “It really pays to be a follower of Christ.” When he heard that they would cut off his head, he thanked his executioners because that was how they assured him of going to Heaven and being with the Lord.
the footprints of the warrior
Saint George is usually represented mounted on a horse, in a medieval-style military outfit, with a palm, a spear and a shield. He too is pictured next to a white flag marked with a red cross, stamped end to end.
Sometimes that flag appears carved on his shield. These details can be found in pictures, paintings and sculptures.
England has as its banner “the flag of Saint George”, patron saint of that nation. He is also patron of the Boy Scouts, farmers, archers, sculptors, blacksmiths, prisoners, circus performers, mountaineers, soldiers, among numerous other patronages. In many places he is revered as the protector of domestic animals.
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If you want to know more about Saint George, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Jorge.
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