A reading from the Gospel of Luke

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?  Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them. Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

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                                          Statue of St George in the Chapel

Here Jesus is talking about sacrificing your life for others. He might not mean martyrdom but the same sacrifice of helping people is the message here.

While Jean Baptiste De la Salle did not die for his cause, he still sacrificed all he had. Another man who sacrificed all he had, including his life, was St George. George is the patron saint of England, but does that mean that only English people can see him as a patron, or is he a patron saint for all who live here. Let’s explore who St George was.

Well he wasn’t an Englishman! He was a Roman soldier with a Greek heritage. His father was from Cappodocia in Greece and his mother came from what is now Israel. So no British blood in the veins at all. No one knows the exact story of George, but these are most likely nearest the truth.

We all know the story of St George slaying the dragon. This legend comes from the painting of a Greek icon of him doing so. In the painting there is George, on horseback, slaying a dragon with a lance while a woman looks on. The dragon is considered by various scholars to represent either the devil himself, or the Emperor Diocletian, and the woman is believed to be Diocletian’s wife, Alexandra.

So where do Diocletian and Alexandra come into it.

Diocletian was the Roman Emperor around the year 300. George’s father had been one of his more favoured officers and he was pleased to accept George’s request to become a soldier. However, George had been raised as a Christian by his parents and when Diocletian became Emperor he decreed that all soldiers who were Christian should either renounce their faith or be executed.

George did not agree to this request. This was a dilemma for the emperor as, because of his friendship and admiration of George’s father, he did not want to put George to death. So, using a tactic that was later used by Henry VIII on the English bishops, he tried bribing George, offering money, land, slaves, all sorts of gifts but George remained steadfast. So did Diocletian and he ordered George to be executed. Knowing he was going to be arrested, George gave his wealth to the poor.

George was executed by being beheaded, just like John Fisher, but not the same straightforward beheading that Fisher had. He was beaten, tortured and lacerated with swords. Three times he passed out and three times he was revived to endure the pain again.

After his death his body was taken to his home town to be buried. This then became a place of pilgrimage for other Christians.

George is not just the patron saint of England. There is also Georgia, Malta, Portugal and Romania who share him with us. He has other patronages too, he is the patron saint of Beirut, of Newfoundland and some worldwide organisations such as the Scout Association.

There are many parallels with George and De la Salle, so to emulate George you don’t have to be martyred, you just have to remember to serve people, if we don’t serve people, and help them, who will do the same for us?

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Closing Prayer

Almighty God, who gave to 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.