Saint Athanasius
Coptic Orthodox Church
Saint George was born in the year 280 from good Christian parents. His father Anastasios was a martyr himself; he was killed by the Roman governor. When George was a young child. He always remembered his father's genuine faith, and looked up to him as an example in his life. George lived with his mother Theopista who also was a devoted woman. She raised him in a holy Christian manner.
At age 17, George joined the Roman army and fought many battles in Egypt and Palestine. His courage prompted the Governor to appoint him a commander over hundreds of soldiers. But George always felt sad because the Roman Emperor, Diocletian, held a prejudice against the Christian people.
When it was the feast day of the Roman god Appolo, Diocletian attacked the church of Necomedea, and burned it to the ground. He also issued a decree ordering all Christians to burn their holy books,and offer sacrifices to the idols in their temples.
When George heard that, he went to the public square, and to everybody's amazement, he tore off the Emperor's decree which was posted on the wall. Immediately, the soldiers arrested him and sent him to Diocletian.
The emperor tried to convince George to renounce his faith and to worship the idols. When he saw that George was determined to hold onto his faith until the end, he threw him in jail. One day the Emperor sent a beautiful woman from the palace harem to make George fall in sin. She made strong attempts to seduce him, but George remained strong in his purity and in his faith.
He knew how to change the jail cell into a church by praying, not only for himself, but also for the salvation of that poor woman. Shortly after dawn, she came to him crying, and asking him for the secret of his chastity. The saint started talking to her about Jesus who died for us because we were sinners, in order to save us from the slavery of sin.
In the morning the soldiers came to escort her to the palace, and to find out what she had accomplished. But to their amazement, they found the half-naked woman all covered up, and sitting in humility confessing that she believed in Jesus Christ as her King and Savior. Everyone was astonished, especially the Emperor who, in his rage, ordered her to be killed immediately.
When Diocletian found out that it was impossible to attract George by any sensual means, he started torturing him in jail without mercy. Every morning they used to whip him, comb his flesh (with a steel comb), and burn him with torches. In all that, the saint was patient, looking to the cross of His Savior to provide him with strength.
One night, when he was alone in his cell, his entire body bleeding, a bright light shone in the dark, and suddenly the Lord of Glory Jesus Himself appeared. The Lord embraced George, and told him, "Do not be afraid, George, for I am with you." As soon as the Lord touched the saint, all his wounds and cuts were healed instantly.
When the guards saw the light, they were scared and ran to the governor to tell him. Then George presented himself in front of the governor. Everyone was amazed to see him in perfect health.
Then, the governor called the best magician in the land and expressed to him his desire to kill George. The magician prepared a drink and tinted it with a very strong poison. George made the sign of the cross on the cup, and then drank it. Everyone was ezxpecting him to fall at any moment, but when nothing happened, the magician felt ashamed and handed him another cup. Only that time he double the amount of poison. But, by the strength of George's cross, the poison had no effect on him.
The emperor noticed the motion of George's hand in making the sign of the cross and guessed that he was using magical means to counteract the poison. The emperor ordered George's hands tied behind his back and then forced him to drink. George, while motioning with his head, asked the emperor, "Do you want me to drink from this side, or from this side, or from this side, or from this side?" Because St. George had made the motion of the cross with his head, the poison had no effect on him. When the magician saw this, he cried, "I am a Christian. I believe in the God of George." Also, many onlookers announced their faith in the real God. The Governor was furious, and ordered all of them to be killed.
When the Emperor sw that his methods did not work, he promised George to make him the second man in the Empire. To prove that he was serious, he released the saint, and invited him as a gues in his palace. There he met the Queen, Alexandra, who was waiting for that chance since she heard so much about George.
The saint started talking to her about Christ the Savior, and how He loved us until death, the death on the cross. At the end of their conversation, Alexandra the queen confessed her faith in Lord Jesus.
In the morning, the Emperor announced that George would offer incense to the idols. Thousands of peolpe started shouting and clapping as George entered in a great procession. He stood in front of the biggest statue, lifted up his heart to God, and after a short prayer,he looked at the idol and said, "If you are the real god, show us your power." A voice came out of the statue saying, "The real God is your God, we are devils."
Then George crossed himself in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and said, "How dare you, then, stand in front of me. Don't you know that I worship Jesus Christ the Living God?" Immediately, the big statue fell to the ground, followed by all the other idols, and they all shattered into pieces.
The priests of the idols started shouting, "Death to this magician who destroyed our idols." The soldiers arrested George, but many of the people who were watching announced that they became Christians.
Diocletian the Emperor went to his wife to complain, but to his astonishment he discovered that she also had become a Christian. He was very wrathful as he ordered the soldiers to hang her by the hair in the yard and to whip her before killing her. During her torment she asked George, "My brother, what will hapen to me if I die without being baptized?" George answered, "My blessed Queen, your blood is the holy baptism, which will open to you the gates of Paradise."
After seven years of being tortured, St. George was finally martyred by the sword on the first day of May 303. He was only 23 years old.
May the prayers and supplications of the great Saint George, Prince of the
Martyrs, be with us all. Amen.
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