``Where
the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be;
even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church'' Ignatius of
Antioch, 1st c. A.D
Feast of St. George
Very, very
little is known about St. George, but that hasn't stopped his being
venerated widely and having a great effect on history. His cultus began
in Palestine, and 4th century churches that are now in ruins attest to
his having been venerated very early on in the Middle East, from Syria
to Egypt.
Jacobus de
Voragine's Golden
Legend tells us that he was a knight in Cappadocia -- a region in what
is now known as Turkey -- and that he
went to Libya, to a city called Silene. It continues:
And by this city
was a stagne or a pond like a sea, wherein was a dragon which envenomed
all the country. And on a time the people were assembled for to slay
him, and when they saw him they fled. And when he came nigh the city he
venomed the people with his breath, and therefore the people of the
city gave to him every day two sheep for to feed him, because he should
do no harm to the people, and when the sheep failed there was taken a
man and a sheep. Then was an ordinance made in the town that there
should be taken the children and young people of them of the town by
lot, and every each one as it fell, were he gentle or poor, should be
delivered when the lot fell on him or her. So it happed that many of
them of the town were then delivered, insomuch that the lot fell upon
the king's daughter, whereof the king was sorry, and said unto the
people: For the love of the gods take gold and silver and all that I
have, and let me have my daughter. They said: How sir! ye have made and
ordained the law, and our children be now dead, and ye would do the
contrary. Your daughter shall be given, or else we shall burn you and
your house.
When the king saw he might no more do, he began to weep, and
said to his daughter: Now shall I never see thine espousals. Then
returned he to the people and demanded eight days' respite, and they
granted it to him. And when the eight days were passed they came to him
and said: Thou seest that the city perisheth: Then did the king do
array his daughter like as she should be wedded, and embraced her,
kissed her and gave her hls benediction, and after, led her to the
place where the dragon was.
When she was there S. George passed by, and when he saw the
lady he demanded the lady what she made there and she said: Go ye your
way fair young man, that ye perish not also. Then said he: Tell to me
what have ye and why weep ye, and doubt ye of nothing. When she saw
that he would know, she said to him how she was delivered to the
dragon.
Then said S. George: Fair daughter, doubt ye no thing hereof for I
shall help thee in the name of Jesu Christ.
She said: For God's sake, good knight, go your way, and abide not with
me, for ye may not deliver me.
Thus as they spake together the dragon appeared and came running to
them, and S. George was upon his horse, and drew out his sword and
garnished him with the sign of the cross, and rode hardily against the
dragon which came towards him, and smote him with his spear and hurt
him sore and threw him to the ground.
And after said to the maid: Deliver to me your girdle, and bind it
about the neck of the dragon and be not afeard.
When she had done so the dragon followed her as it had been a meek
beast and debonair. Then she led him into the city, and the people fled
by mountains and valleys, and said: Alas! alas! we shall be all dead.
Then S. George said to them: Ne doubt ye no thing, without more,
believe ye in God, Jesu Christ, and do ye to be baptized and I shall
slay the dragon. Then the king was baptized and all his people, and S.
George slew the dragon and smote off his head, and commanded that he
should be thrown in the fields, and they took four carts with oxen that
drew him out of the city.
He was later martyred, by beheading, in Palestine. His tomb can be
visited in Lod (a.k.a. Lydda), a town just south of Tel Aviv.
Because of this fantastical tale of the dragon, St. George is almost
always depicted in art slaying the monster. What this dragon was,
whether it was a literal beast or a metaphor for sin, we don't know,
but his
reputation for valor has made St. George a favorite for warriors. His
intercession has been attributed as the proximate cause of many
Christian victories in battle. In 1096, King Pedro I of Aragon
attributed to St. George his victory at the battle of Alcoraz, when the
King re-took the city of Huesca. St. George was also seen helping the
Franks at
the
Battle of Antioch in 1098, and Crusaders rallied under his banner --
among them Richard the Lion-Heart, who had a vision of St. George who
promised him victory during his battles of the Third Crusade. One
old French battle song begging for St. George's intercession:
Fier chevalier,
l'éclat de ton armure,
Comme un soleil, attire tous les yeux.
Ta loyauté, ton âme toute pure
Nous ont conquis, et nous voici joyeux.
Saint Georges, guide-nous
Sur la route claire et belle
Saint Georges, guide-nous,
Rends-nous fermes et prêts à tout.
Garde à nos yeux le charme d’un sourire
Quand nous souffrons au plein de notre effort;
Et dussions-nous subir un long martyre,
Tiens nos cœurs droits quand faibliront nos corps.
Saint Georges, guide-nous
Sur la route claire et belle
Saint Georges, guide-nous,
Rends-nous fermes et prêts à tout.
Ô grand
vainqueur, de ton séjour de gloire
Assiste-nous, quand ici nous luttons.
Conduis nos pas aux routes de victoire,
Jusqu’à la mort s’il faut, nous te suivrons.
Saint Georges, guide-nous
Sur la route claire et belle
Saint Georges, guide-nous,
Rends-nous fermes et prêts à tout.
Proud knight,
the sparkle of your armor
Just like a Sun, it attracts all eyes to you.
Your loyalty, your soul so pure
have conquered us, and we here are joyous.
St. George, guide us
Along the clear, beautiful road
St. George, guide us
Make us firm and ready for anything.
Keep in our eyes the charm of a smile
When we are suffering in carrying out our efforts
And if we must submit to a long martyrdom,
Hold our hearts straight if our bodies fail.
St. George, guide us
Along the clear, beautiful road
St. George, guide us
Make us firm and ready for anything.
O, great victor, from your glorious sojourn,
Help us when we fight here.
Guide us on the road to victory,
To death, if necessary, we will follow you.
St. George, guide us
Along the clear, beautiful road
St. George, guide us
Make us firm and ready for anything.
His symbol -- a great red cross (see below) became a part of the
uniforms of soldiers and sailors in England in the 14th century, and
he's also
the patron Saint of the Order of the Garter
established in 1348 by King Edward III. The Order of the Garter is a
chivalric order whose members -- only 24 at at time -- are
appointed solely by the British monarch. Their mother church is the
(now Anglican, sadly) St. George's Chapel in Windsor, where Queen
Elizabeth II, her parents, and her husband are interred.
St. George is also one of the Fourteen
Holy Helpers invoked during the Black Plague that devastated Europe
in the 14th c.
Customs
Some Catholics anticipate St. George's Day by praying a novena to St. George starting on April
14 and ending on April 22, the eve of the feast. As to prayers for the
day, there is the Litany in
Honor of St. George. For a shorter prayer, this prayer to St.
George is a good one:
Faithful servant
of God and invincible martyr, Saint George; favored by God with the
gift of faith, and inflamed with an ardent love of Christ, thou didst
fight valiantly against the dragon of pride, falsehood, and deceit.
Neither pain nor torture, sword nor death could part thee from the love
of Christ. I fervently implore thee for the sake of this love to help
me by thy intercession to overcome the temptations that surround me,
and to bear bravely the trials that oppress me, so that I may patiently
carry the cross which is placed upon me; and let neither distress nor
difficulties separate me from the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Valiant champion of the Faith, assist me in the combat against evil,
that I may win the crown promised to them that persevere unto the end.
Because of the aforementioned victory in 1096, St. George is also the
patron Saint of the former
Kingdom of Aragon, now simply "Aragon," in northwest Spain; April 23
there is known as "El Día de Aragón," and is a legal holiday. He is
patron as well of Ethiopia, Palestine, and Georgia. All over the world,
his feast day is remembered in various ways (in the Bavarian parts of
Germany, horses and their wagons are decorated and paraded in an event
called Georgiritt --"George's Ride").
But it's England that is most associated with St. George. When the West
was still Christendom, St. George's Day was a very, very
big event in England -- almost as big as Christmas. St. George is the
patron Saint of the country, just as St.
Andrew is the patron of Scotland, St. David is the patron of Wales,
and St. Patrick is the
patron of Ireland. His symbol is a red
T-shaped cross (the crosses of George, Andrew, and Patrick
together form the design of the Union Jack), and you'll see his flag
quite a bit on this day in Old Blighty.
While his day isn't celebrated as grandly as in the past in England, it
is still celebrated -- and becoming more widely so in recent years. In
fact, in
England, if his feast day falls too close to Easter, it might be moved
so that celebrations can be had without detracting from celebrating the
Resurrection. The city of Salisbury, in Wiltshire in the southwest of
England, has an
especially great St. George's Day pageant that dates all the way back
to the 13th century. The celebrations involve parades, Morris dancers
with their bells and handkerchiefs, puppet shows that recount the story
of St. George, etc.
Generally, if you're English, have English ancestry, or are just an
Anglophile, today is the day to do things the English way: eat English
food (perhaps have a tea), sing English songs, watch a good old "Punch
and Judy" show, and
other jolly good things. 1 Two songs
for
the day are "Jerusalem," with words by William
Blake, and music by
Hubert Parry, and "God Save the King":
And did those
feet in ancient time,
Walk upon
Englands mountains green:
And was the holy
Lamb of God,
On Englands
pleasant pastures seen!
And did the
Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon
our clouded hills?
And was
Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark
Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow
of burning gold:
Bring me my
Arrows of desire:
Bring me my
Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my
Chariot of fire!
I will not cease
from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my
Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have
built Jerusalem,
In Englands
green and pleasant Land
God save our
gracious King!
Long live our noble King!
God save the King!
Send him victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the King.
Thy choicest gifts in store
On him be pleased to pour,
Long may he reign.
May he defend our laws,
And ever give us cause,
To sing with heart and voice,
God save the King.
As to foods,
roast beef, horseradish sauce, Yorkshire pudding, and an
English Trifle are English classics:
For the
Yorkshire Pudding:
1 1/4 cups milk
4 eggs
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon of the beef drippings (or vegetable oil)
Heat your oven to 475F. Rub the beef with the olive oil and
chopped rosemary. Place into the hot oven and cook for 15 minutes and
then turn the heat down to 350F. Cook for about 15 minutes per pound
(about 1 hour and 15 minutes). Remove from the oven and let rest,
covered, for about 15 minutes before slicing.
To make the Yorkshire Pudding, turn the oven down to 450F.
Mix the milk, eggs, and salt, and add pepper, beating all well
together. Let these ingredient stand for 15 minutes and then whisk in
the flour. Meanwhile, add the drippings to a 9X13 pan and put it in the
oven to heat for about 10 minutes. After the pan is really hot, pour in
the batter and cook for 20 minutes, or until well puffed and golden.
Horseradish Sauce
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all together.
English Trifle
6 cups pound cake in 1/4" chunks
1 cup simple syrup (2 parts water, 1 part sugar brought to a
boil and allowed to cool to room temperature)
1/4 cup sherry or Cointreau
2 pints strawberries, cut up + 1/4 of cup sugar
1/2 cup nuts + 1/2 cup sugar
Brown Sugar
Whipped Cream:
2 cups chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Mix the simple syrup and sherry, and toss together with the
pound cake pieces in a bowl and set aside.
Mix strawberries and sugar, let macerate until nice and
juicy, and set aside.
Grind nuts and 1/2 c. sugar together and set aside.
Pastry Cream: Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a boil in a
medium sauce pan over medium heat and set aside to infuse for 10 to 15
minutes. If you're using liquid vanilla instead of a bean, boil the
milk, take off heat, and stir vanilla in and let sit for 10 to 15
minutes.
Separately, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until
light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no
lumps remain. Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks
until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture. Pour the
mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over
medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly
boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool
slightly. Cover with plastic wrap so the plastic touches the surface of
the cream, and chill at least two hours.
Whip the chilled heavy cream and brown sugar until stiff.
Now layer the ingredients in the following order (in a trifle
bowl if you have one. Otherwise, any large, preferably clear glass bowl
would do, or you can assemble these in individual parfait glasses):
cake, pastry cream, brown sugar whipped cream, nuts and strawberries,
repeating until the container is full, ending with whipped cream as the
top layer.
St. George is
also the patron of the once wonderful institution of Scouting (may it
be restored!), begun in 1908 by Robert Baden-Powell, a Lieutenant
General in the British Army. The Scouting laws are laws every boy
should honor. They can be summarized with the sentence: "A Scout is
Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient,
Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent." Teach your children
about the cardinal virtues that
the Scouts at least once used to try to acquire, and that St. George
exemplified!
Readings
From a sermon by Saint Peter Damian, bishop
(Sermon 3, De
sancto Georgio)
Dear brothers, our joy in today’s feast is heightened by our joy in the
glory of Easter, just as the splendor of a precious jewel enhances the
beauty of its gold setting.
Saint George was a man who abandoned one army for another: he gave up
the rank of tribune to enlist as a soldier for Christ. Eager to
encounter the enemy, he first stripped away his worldly wealth by
giving all he had to the poor. Then, free and unencumbered,
bearing the shield of faith, he plunged into the thick of the battle,
an ardent 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.
As for Saint George, he was consumed with the fire of the Holy
Spirit. Armed with the invincible standard of the cross, he did
battle with an evil king and acquitted himself so well that, in
vanquishing the king, he overcame the prince of all wicked spirits, and
encouraged other soldiers of Christ to perform brave deeds in his cause.
Of course, the supreme invisible arbiter was there, who sometimes
permits evil men to prevail so that his will may be accomplished.
And although he surrendered the body of his martyr into the hands of
murderers, yet he continued to take care of his soul, which was
supported by the unshakable defense of its faith.
Dear brothers, let us not only admire the courage of this fighter in
heaven’s army but follow his example. Let us be inspired to
strive for the reward of heavenly glory, keeping in mind his example,
so that we will not be swayed from our path, though the world seduce us
with its smiles or try to terrify us with naked threats of its trials
and tribulations.
We must now cleanse ourselves, as Saint Paul tells us, from all
defilement of body and spirit, so that one day we too may deserve to
enter that temple of blessedness to which we now aspire.
Anyone who wishes to offer himself to God in the tent of Christ, which
is the Church, must first bathe in the spring of holy baptism; then he
must put on the various garments of the virtues. As it says in
the Scriptures, Let your priests be clothed in justice. He who is
reborn in baptism is a new man. He may no longer wear the things
that signify mortality. He has discarded the old self and must
put on the new. He must live continually renewed in his
commitment to a holy sojourn in this world.
Truly we must be cleansed of the stains of our past sins and be
resplendent in the virtue of our new way of life. Then we can be
confident of celebrating Easter worthily and of truly following the
example of the blessed martyrs.
Footnotes:
1 If you're not English (or Italian) and
and know nothing about Punch and Judy, I encourage you to look into the
history and cuture of that form of puppetry. It's fascinating! It's
violent (if done properly and not politically corrected into the usual
modern nonsense), but in a Three Stooges sort of way. And children love a good Punch and Judy show (there's a
definite art to it -- and to do a real Punch, you have to have a
swazzle and all that). You can find many Punch and Judy shows on
Youtube -- and after you and your children know what it's all about and
are familiar with the standard characters and general scheme of a Punch
and Judy entertainment, you can make your own puppets and put on your
own show.
