Reflection on St George

Reflection

Reflection by Father Robin Gibbons, Greek Melkite Catholic priest; Advisor and Chaplain to FACE.


It is time that those of us in England rescued our patron saint from all kinds of prejudices often associated with the more unpleasant traits of nationalistic hooliganism. Elements in our public life have often wanted to get rid of him, but this is short-sighted because George is a saint who can bind us to many faiths, nationalities and places. Far from being dismissed as a mythological figure with uncertain provenance, our beloved George is a figure much venerated in East and West. The red cross of St George on a white background is an ancient symbol of the resurrection which is adopted as the national flag of England and the flag of Palestinian Christians. For those of us involved with FACE, it is notable that Saint George is among the most celebrated saints in Syria, particularly amongst Christians of the Antiochian tradition.  The Monastery of Saint George in Meshtaye, near the city of Homs, is an Orthodox religious complex dating back to the 5th century, and one of the most visited pilgrimage sites for local and foreign pilgrims, who arrive for the feast of Saint George and the feast of the elevation of the Holy Cross.
 
George’s life may seem obscure, but it is probably far better known than that of many other saints and historical cultic figures. Let us step back to wonder at such a saint, for George is greatly, widely and lovingly venerated. His influence is all over the Middle East, in Slav lands, as well as in India, where he is venerated particularly in the Syro-Malbar Rite. One of the main pilgrimage sites to St. George is in Kerala, at Edappally, where his feast is celebrated on 4 May.
 
How many of us realise that George is not only the Patron Saint of England, but also of Georgia (that bears his name), Ethiopia, Portugal and Catalonia? He is venerated equally as the protector of Bulgaria and Moscow, with many cities dedicated to him, such as Beirut in Lebanon, Venice, Modica, Ragusa, Genoa in Italy, and Podgorica in Montenegro.
 
George was born in the 4th century AD near Cappadocia in modern Turkey, but it is believed that his mother was a Palestinian from Lydda and that he himself had connections to Al-khadar near Bethlehem; but what is definitely known is that he was undoubtedly martyred for his Christian faith under Diocletian and his remains moved to Lydda in Palestine where his tomb became a centre of pilgrimage. He was canonised in 494 AD by Pope Gelasius who recognised him as a martyr for the faith.  Subsequently the Eastern Church named George the ‘Great Martyr’. He was commemorated in England in the 9th century, and in the reign of Edward III in the 14th century, he became the patron saint of England. All of these fragments of knowledge point to a real person whose memory was taken up into the liturgical and spiritual life of the Christian Church and spread quickly throughout many lands.
 
On his feast day in 2014, the BBC published an article and aired a broadcast * explaining why St George is a Palestinian hero, and venerated by Christians, Muslims and Druze alike.   It is clear that ‘Palestinians see him as having set a powerful example for helping the needy and for bravely standing up resolutely for one’s beliefs’ – values for us to be inspired by and to emulate.
 
So, in reflecting on George, let us learn something important: not to let historical prejudice or animosity cloud our judgement, but to allow the voice of the Holy One to speak through the life and intercession of this saint. In so many ways, George as patron of England is profoundly relevant to us today in our multi-cultural society because, apart from being so much a part of our national culture, having been venerated as a much-loved saint for more than a thousand years, his ‘internationality’ bursts the boundaries of ethnicity, faiths and nationalism; he cannot be trapped into belonging to one group or even to one religion. In our more multi-layered culture, George speaks to us in several ways: as a symbol of our vocation to live out the witness to Christ in the Beatitudes; as a saint uniting East and West, reminding us to protect the ‘Living Stones of the Holy land’ and to care for them and the places of Christ – the places which were of course George’s own homeland; and as a saint who can be a source of goodwill, friendship and fraternity between Christian, Muslim and Druze.
 
For we Christians, George also captures values that we need today: a faith that stands firm in its witness to the triumph of the Cross and the Resurrection yet can reach out to the poor and needy of all cultures; a saint who belongs to all; a redoubtable warrior, not for glory and conquest, but for justice and truth.
 
Across two millennia George’s appeal has remained unabated.  Even the Reformation could not suppress him. And in our own recent history, he became part of that famous story of the visions of angels (or cavalry men) in September 1914, at the retreat from Mons, known as the appearance of the ‘Angel of Mons’. True or not, George has not deserted us, and he keeps reappearing. We ought therefore to make him better known and understood.  But our first task today is to ask his intercession for all in need, and especially to ask George, so greatly beloved by the Slavic nations, to intercede for peace in Ukraine.
 
Eusebius of Caesarea, the 4^th century Greek historian of Christianity, in his History of the Church, records the early martyrs.  Although George is not mentioned by name, Eusebius makes mention of a martyr who is undoubtedly George, and he describes him as ‘a man of the greatest distinction’ who was sentenced to death by emperor Diocletian in Nicomedia on 23 April 303.
 
May St George help us to become people of distinction for Christ.