The early life of St. George remains a mystery, and he is best remembered for the legend of St. George and the dragon. We do know that he was born toward the end of the 3rd century to a Roman officer and a Greek mother and that both of his parents were Christians. George was raised in the faith, entered the Roman army when he was about 20, and became an officer like his father. In 303, Emperor Diocletian performed a pagan ceremony, and when it failed to produce results he blamed the Christians, thus beginning the last of the Roman persecutions. St. George defiantly stood up against Diocletian and proclaimed his faith. For that, he was tortured, and when he refused to renounce Christianity, he was martyred.
CHALLENGE
St. Peter Damian said, “St. George was a man who abandoned one army for another: he gave up the rank of tribune to enlist as a soldier for Christ… Clearly what he did serves to teach us a valuable lesson: if we are afraid to strip ourselves of our worldly possessions, then we are unfit to make a strong defense of the faith.” St. George stripped himself of his life to defend the faith. Today, meditate on your answer to this question: what must you give up to enlist as a soldier for Christ?
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