Bible Verse
-- 1 Peter 2:2-3 --
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in
your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
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One characteristic all children share is that they want to grow up -- to be like
big brother or sister or like their parents. When we are born again, we become
spiritual newborn babies. If we are healthy, we will yearn to grow. How sad it
is that some people never grow up. The need for milk is a natural instinct for a
baby, and it signals the desire for nourishment that will lead to growth. Once
we see our need for God's Word and begin to find nourishment in Christ, our
spiritual appetite will increase, and we will start to mature. How strong is
your desire for God's Word?
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April 23rd - George the Great M (RM)
(also known as Giorgio or Joris of Cappadocia)
Born in Cappadocia; died c. 303. Many legends have gathered around the name of
Saint George, one of the 14 Holy Helpers, and there are differing accounts of
his origin. There is evidence that George was, indeed, a real martyr who
suffered at Diospolis (Lydda, Ludd) in Palestine before the time of Constantine,
probably under Diocletian. He was probably born of Christian parents in
Cappadocia, where his father was a martyr.
Later he himself took refuge in Palestine, where he became a Roman soldier and
displayed courage. He is said to have been raised to the rank of military
tribune of the imperial guards. On his mother's death he inherited a fortune and
attached himself to the court of the Emperor Diocletian in the hope of finding
advancement.
Once when the emperor was present, heathen priests were consulting the entrails
of animals to foretell the future. Those Christians among the guards made the
Sign of the Cross on their foreheads. The emperor was extremely angry and
ordered them flogged and dismissed. He then sent out an edict ordering the
Christian clergy to make sacrifice to the pagan gods.
On the outbreak of persecution, George declared himself a Christian and
distributed his money to the poor. When the decree which preceded the
persecution was published against the churches in Nicomedia, "a certain man,"
Eusebius tells us in his History, "of no mean origin, but highly esteemed for
his temporal dignities, stimulated by a divine zeal, and excited by an ardent
faith, took it as it was openly placed and posted up for public inspection, and
tore it to shreds as a most profane and wicked act." This man who showed such
courage is believed to have been Saint George, and such a bold and defiant
action well suits what we know of his character.
As a result, he was subjected to nameless tortures over a period of seven years.
He was tied to a revolving wheel of blades and swords, thrown into a pit of
quicklime, made to run in red-hot shoes, scourged with thongs of hide, beaten
with sledge-hammers, and cast over a precipice; his limbs were broken and
exposed to flame, and he suffered many other torments. He is said to have
miraculously escaped from a cauldron of burning oil after he destroyed the
temple of Apollo. One version says that by making the Sign of the Cross, he
remained unhurt in all these intermediate trials. Frustrated that their tortures
had little effect, George was beheaded.
His story also takes other forms, mainly legendary, the most familiar of which
concerns his fight with the dragon. It is said that George was riding through
the province of Lybia (Libya?), and came upon a city named Sylene. Near the city
was a marsh in which a dragon lived. The people had attempted to kill it but
were poisoned by the creature's fetid breath.
To placate the dragon, they offered it two sheep each day, but when they began
to exhaust their supply of sheep, they were forced to substitute a human each
day instead, using a lottery to determine who would be sacrificed. At the time
of George's arrival, the lot had just fallen to the king's daughter,
Cleodolinda. No one volunteered to take her place, so she was dressed in bridal
finery and sent to meet the dragon, weeping as she went. George rode in upon
this scene. The princess urged him to hurry on so that he would not also die.
Instead of acting prudently (according to the wisdom of the world), George made
the Sign of the Cross and then attacked the dragon. After an energetic battle,
the saint speared it with his lance. He then fastened the princess's girdle
around its neck, and the girl led the dragon into the city. The people were
frightened and started to run away, but George told them not to be afraid-that
if the whole city would believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized, he would slay
the dragon.
The king and the people agreed, and more than 15,000 were baptized. George
killed the dragon, and it was carried away on four ox carts. He accepted no
reward for this service, but he asked the king to build churches, honor priests,
and to maintain compassion for the poor.
The above legend is of Italian origin from a much later date than George
himself. Words, however, attributed to him in these imaginary tales are
characteristic of his faith and courage, and may well have been upon his lips as
he faced his actual torture, such as: "Christ, my Captain, my Lord, I have no
strength but what You give me. Help me this day, and the glory shall be Yours
for ever and ever."
He preached the Gospel and baptized many into the Christian faith. The Greeks
called him "the great martyr." His name and influence also spread far into the
West under the influence of the Crusaders; however, devotion to him there
predates the Crusades. Since the 5th century many churches could be found in the
West bearing his name. It was in England, however, that his fame became most
popular.
It is uncertain why he is the patron saint of England, though his cultus travel
to the British Isles before the Norman Conquest (1066). William of Malmesbury
states that SS. George and Demetrius, "the martyr knights," were seen helping
the Franks at the Battle of Antioch in 1098, and it appears probable that the
crusaders, in particular King Richard I, who placed himself and his soldiers
under George's protection, returned from the East with a belief in the power of
George's intercession. His veneration as protector of England was officially
approved by Pope Benedict XIV.
He is also patron of Britain's oldest order of knighthood. King Edward III found
the Order of the Garter about 1347, of which George has always been patron, and
for which the chapel of Saint George at Windsor was built by Edward IV and Henry
VII.
"Saint George's arms" became the basis of the uniforms of British soldiers and
sailors, and George's red cross appears on the Union Jack (British flag)
(Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Gill, Sheppard, Tabor, White).
In art, George is portrayed as a youth in armor, often mounted, killing or
having killed a dragon with his lance (sometimes broken) or sword (Tabor). His
shield and lance pennant are a red cross on a white field (White). Generally,
there is a princess near him. In some portrayals, (1) the princess leads the
dragon; (2) Saint Margaret is the princess; (3) George is in armor standing on
the dragon (not to be confused with the Archangel Michael, who is always
winged); (4) George is in the robes of the Order of the Garter; (5) with Saint
Demetrius in icons; or (6) as George is martyred in a brazen bull, dragged by
horses, beheaded with a sword (Roeder).
The "dragon" initially connoted the evils of paganism that were overcome by the
saints (primarily missionaries). But the symbol gave rise to legends of
deliverance from fierce dragons that were intent upon devouring whole
populations. This was the source of the story about Saint George related in the
Golden Legend (Appleton).
Saint George is the patron of England, the Order of the Garter, Boy Scouts, the
Italian cavalry (which had retained a devotion to the holy knight), chivalry,
Istanbul, Aragon, Portugal, Germany, Genoa, and Venice. In the East, he is the
patron of soldiers, and also of husbandmen, due to a play on the Greek form of
his name (Delaney, Roeder, White). He is invoked against the plague, leprosy,
syphilis (White), and herpes (Sheppard).
This Version taken from:
http://users.erols.com/saintpat/ss/ss-index.htm
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