Courage is a prerequisite for Gospel living.

Perhaps that is why “Do not be afraid” is the most common phrase that appears in the New Testament and the most common phrase that appears in the Old Testament. This phrase appears more than one thousand times in the Bible. Do you think God is trying to get a message across to us? 

Saint George’s life is shrouded in legend, but one thing is certain: He moved beyond his fears.

We often associate George with slaying a dragon. But the historical Saint George was likely a respected officer in the Roman army when the Emperor Diocletian issued an order to “tear down the churches to the foundations and to destroy the Sacred Scriptures by fire.” George then had a real dragon to slay: His own fear. To go against the imperial order would surely mean death. But to let others carry it out, to fail even to stand up to it, would mean a life of cowardice and an abandonment of his faith.

Courage is not the absence of fear but the acquired ability to move beyond fear. And that is what Saint George did. He moved beyond his fears and stood up to the assault on his faith. 

One day, George was in attendance as Diocletian’s imperial order was being publicly proclaimed. George stepped onto the podium. He snatched the order from the speaker’s hands and ripped it to shreds in front of everyone, inspiring every Christian in the audience to stay firm in their faith.

As a result, Saint George was tortured and executed.

The real Saint George was just as courageous as the one of legend, and we can learn just as much from him, because his situation is similar to ours. Our Christian faith is constantly under attack, and we all have the choice either to do nothing out of fear, or to move beyond our fears and stand up for our faith.

Courage is not the absence of fear but the acquired ability to move beyond it. Each day, we must pass through the jungles of doubt and cross the valley of fear, for it is only then that we can live on the peaks of courage. It is this courage that God wants to fill us with. 

What fear is God calling you to move beyond today?

Patron Saint of: Knights, Soldiers, Scouts, Fencers, Archers, England, Georgia, and Catalonia

Symbols: Slaying a Dragon, Weapons and Armor

Feast Day: April 23

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Adalbert and Blessed Mary Gabriella Sagheddu

Canonized: 494

Canonized By: Pope Gelasius I