APRIL 23

ST. GEORGE

Pictures of St. George usually show him killing a dragon to rescue a beautiful lady. The dragon stands for wickedness. The lady stands for God's holy truth. St. George is slaying the dragon because he has won the battle against the devil.

Not much is known about St. George except that he was a martyr. He was a soldier in the army of Diocletian, a pagan emperor. Diocletian was a bitter enemy of the Christians. In fact, he put to death every Christian he could find.

It is believed that St. George was one of Diocletian's favorite soldiers. When George became a Christian, he went to the emperor and scolded him for being so cruel. Then he gave up his position in the Roman army. St. George paid a very high price for his bravery. He was cruelly tortured and beheaded.

So boldly daring and so cheerful was St. George in declaring his faith that people felt courage when they heard about it. Many songs and poems were written about this martyr. Soldiers, especially, have always been devoted to him. He was named the patron of England in 1222.

St. George was killed in Lydda, Palestine, around the year 303.

We all have some "dragon" we have to conquer. It might be selfishness or anger. It might be laziness or greed, or something else. We can ask St. George to help us fight against these "dragons. " He will help us if we ask.