When he was a young man Joseph Stalin thought God was calling him to be a priest, and so he entered the seminary, and he began preparing for the priesthood. But the spiritual power of the Church didn’t capture his heart. He was drawn instead to the world of secular, political power; and in the upheavals that took place in Russian society during and after the First World War, Stalin became the first dictator of the Soviet Union, ruling his empire with an unholy terror. You might say things haven’t really changed that much with the current Russian dictator terrorising the peace-loving Christian people of Ukraine.
Stalin ordered the murder of millions of his own people and his ideology threatened peace and stability in the world. When he was advised not to incur the disapproval of the Pope, Stalin asked: “How many armoured divisions does the Pope have?” This so-called man of steel ruled by fear, but in the end the fear ruled him. It entered deep into his soul and he died frightened and alone.
Saint George was also a man of steel, in the sense that he was a soldier, familiar with swords and shields and the instruments of war. But unlike Stalin, Saint George didn’t rely on weaponry, force and intimidation to bring him security. Weapons don’t take away our fears, rather they increase them. Fear attacks the soul and destroys us from within, and for this spiritual battle only faith and the practice of virtue can bring us true protection.
Saint Paul talks about faith as a shield, and he describes faith as our greatest defence. This was the shield Saint George carried in his life. And yet it didn’t protect him from those who can hurt the body. He suffered, like so many people do, and became a victim of evil people. We only have to read the daily news reports to know that, even in our own day and age, people become the innocent victims of violent dictators and their fanatical ideas. Just so, Saint George, in his day, was made to pay with his life for being a Christian.
Most of the information we have about Saint George is derived from fable and legend. And the only fact we know for sure is that he was martyred at Lydda in Palestine during the persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. His cult quickly spread both east and west. A soldier-saint appealed to those in the military, and it was through the influence of the medieval crusaders that Saint George replaced the king and martyr Saint Edmund as the patron of England in 1222.
Saint George’s witness to us, like every martyr, is of God’s grace in our weakness: the grace to face, suffer and, if we can, overcome the evil ones of this world. Even today there are those who bring cruelty and misery into the lives of others. May Saint George, the soldier saint, teach us the ways of non-violence and bring us courage in the day of trial. And may he continue to intercede for and protect our nation.
Saint George, patron of England, pray for us.
Dum Tacet Clamat 