Today is the feast of St. George, who is very popular among Eastern Christians as well as school-age boys everywhere. We know little about St. George, who was an early Church martyr, but of course he is best known for the mythical tale of his slaying of a dragon.

Although the stories surrounding St. George are the stuff of legend, as a martyr he truly did slay a dragon, for he overcame the Evil One who is the prince of this world. By giving his entire life for Christ, he was able to defeat the power of Satan, the great dragon.

We too have dragons in our lives. The persistent sins that we can’t seem to overcome, the fear that keeps us from boldly proclaiming Christ, and the disordered sexuality that surrounds us are all dragons that we must slay. Fortunately for us we do not fight alone nor are we to fight our dragons unarmed:

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:11-17)

St. George, pray for us!