On this day, we celebrate the Martyrdom of St. George, the Prince of the Martyrs. This feast usually falls every year during the Holy Fifty days in which we live the joys of Resurrection and triumph over death which are given to us through Christ Jesus.

The saints are largely a beautiful icon of the Resurrection, and through their lives, we can vividly see the power of the Resurrection which radiates from them. The reality is that every Christian is a living human being though Christ and through the power of His Resurrection that he attained in baptism.  If alive and renewed, this power will keep him in steadfastness, regardless of suffering and dangers that he is subjected to throughout the path of sojourn in this world.

Saint George, the great martyr, was a young man in his twenties and full of vitality. He faced an enormous challenges, insults, and torturing that was enough to shatter his character, humiliate him, and quench this vitality he had.  However, he harnessed a great mystery within him, he was full of a different type of vitality, not that of youthfulness, but rather a divine and spiritual vitality… In short, it is the power of the Resurrection. This type of power can never be defeated regardless of the viciousness of the challenges faced by man.

For instance, in the incident where he was forced to ingest the poison, the power of the Resurrection and Life that was within him, were stronger than the effect of the deadly poison that physically entered his body.

In the story of the girl that they forced upon him to tempt him with her promiscuity, the prison could have been St. George’s grave that night had he fell in fornication, and this consequently could have been the end of his heroic steadfastness.   But he knew that through prayer, the undefeated power of the Resurrection is renewed in humans. Therefore, he turned his back to the temptation and stood up in courage to pray. He indeed gained the power of the Resurrection and triumph, for both himself and the unfortunate girl who repented at his hands and resurrected with Christ from her corrupt life and later became a martyr.

When they forced him to wear shoes that were full of nails and ordered him to run in them until his feet were torn into pieces, the power of the Resurrection was supporting him.  He neither objected nor complained, but rather he was joyful like the Apostles when they were whipped and departed from council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the sake of Christ and to taste a small amount of the pain that He suffered for their sake (Acts 5:41). Likewise, St. George was thankful to Christ who gave him such a blessing were the nails entered his feet like his God and Savior, and to shed his blood for the sake of his beloved redeemer who shed His blood to save him from servitude and to grant him eternal life.

As to when they stretched him on the iron bed and lit a fire underneath it to roast his body, Christ lying on the cross and victorious over pain, was before his eyes, strengthening him with a surpassing divine grace to be patient and forbearing. Thus the steadfastness of St. George was the reason for many to believe. This is the power of the Resurrection that is granted to the children of God who follow him in the narrow road carrying their cross.

St. George died three times because of horrifying torments, but every time he was miraculously restored to life. The power of the Resurrection restored him to life, and gave assurance that because of his faith in Christ, he became more powerful than death.

This extraordinary power that we see in this spiritual hero is expressed by the magnificent Doxology with which we glorify Him, saying:

+ Saint George has completed, seven whole years, while he was judged daily, by seventy lawless kings.

+ They could not change his mind, nor his upright faith, nor his great love, for Christ the King.

+ He was singing with David, saying "All the nations encircled me, but with the name of my Lord Jesus, I took revenge upon them.

+ Great is your honor, O my master prince George, for Christ rejoices with you, in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Our Lord Jesus who is risen from the dead is able to renew the power of His resurrection within us to live in victory over sin all the days of our lives, as the great martyr St. George was victorious and received the crown of martyrdom and glory.