A LESS-COMMON SAINT: SAINT GEORGE

As some of you may know from my posts in different places, I have returned to incorporating saints into my practice. Like Angels, saints were an integral part of my regular Christian faith from childhood on. Coming from the AME Zion Church, I grew up on the spiritual breast milk of such saints as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass and James Varick. They are people who stemmed the enormous tide of racial hatred, white supremacy and systemic revolutions occurring in those historic American moments. But as I always say, it DID something to me as a boy to go to Tubman’s graveside in Auburn, New York and hear the AME Zion chorale sing slave spirituals. I could feel the advent of so many ancestral spirits gather at the clarion call of Black voices singing their joys and sorrows.

Even when I was an adult and went to seminary (and was still AME Zion at that time), I made a pilgrimage to Mother Zion Church in Harlem. I walked where my ancestors in faith walked, and I knelt at the tomb of Rev. Varick and prayed for his blessings upon my ministry. I should have known then that I was meant for more!

Fast forward many years…now, as I work more in earnest with certain saints who mean something significant to me, I find a sort of full circle happening in my spirituality and spiritual development. One such saint becoming more and more important to me is Saint George, or San Jorge as my Latin kin say. The core of his charism is faith. Especially faith amidst the unknowns, the dragons that life throws at us. Like Archangel Michael, he is always depicted standing over the dragon, on the verge of slaying it. But also like Michael, he does not kill the dragon (not in the image, at least). I know, from one of my elders, that this is because killing the dragon isn’t the point. Most images of a saint besting a dragon or serpent has to do with the representation of our higher and lower natures. The lower nature cannot be killed. Thinking it can is a deception in itself that gets spiritual types in a lot of hot water. I see what I am saying like when I do grief counseling with someone whose loved one died 2 or more years ago. They reached out, surprised that their grief is so intense. When I hear this story, my first question is always to ask them what did they do with their grief when the person died. 9 times out of 10, they did nothing. They just went on with life and tried to stuff it down. And with grief, and frankly anything else, that never ever works!

I see George and his story as a lesson to me and others to hold fast to our faith and belief, especially during hard times. To know that the dragons of life are inevitable, because everyone at some point struggles with their lower nature in how they live and respond to life. Faith in this sense is the knowing deep within that the dragons will not have the final say because we choose not to let them. We instead press ahead and maintain the focus on what lies through and beyond the perils, until we stand upon the dragon’s subdued head.

I leave you with this litany prayer of Saint George, which is powerful (albeit heavy on the Catholicism) and can be used if you choose to work with him:

Litany in Honor of St. George

Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.

Christ, hear us, Christ, hear us.

Christ, receive our prayers, Christ, receive our prayers.

Eternal God the Father, Have mercy on us.

Son of God who saved the world, Have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity One God, Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Pray for us.

Holy Virgin of Virgins, Pray for us.

Holy Mother of Christ, Pray for us.

Holy Mother of the Church, Pray for us.

Holy Queen of Martyrs, Pray for us.

Holy George, Pray for us.

Holy George, Martyr of Jesus Christ, Pray for us.

Holy George, Friend of Jesus Christ,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Warrior of Christ’s army,  Pray for us..

Holy George, Leader of the Christian armies,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Defender of the Catholic Church,  Pray for us.

Holy George, most faithful soldier of Christ,  Pray for us.

Holy George, courageous soldier of the Christian faith,  Pray for us.

Holy George, soldier ever-victorious,  Pray for us.

Holy George, zealous tiller of the Lord’s field,  Pray for us.

Holy George, glorious and great testimony,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Light that testifies for Holy Truth,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Preacher of the Holy Gospel,  Pray for us.

Holy George, who proclaimed the Son of God without fear,  Pray for us.

Holy George, who worked hard to know the thoughts of God,  Pray for us.

Holy George, who art victorious over the greatest sufferings,  Pray for us.

Holy George, who worked miracles,  Pray for us.

Holy George, who died in the body but art alive in Christ,  Pray for us.

Holy George, whose name is great among the martyrs of Heaven, Pray for us.

Holy George, who art venerated in the entire Church,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Great Martyr,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Noble Martyr,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Martyr renowned,  Pray for us.

Holy George, joyous Defender of Jesus Christ,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Noble Soldier of Jesus Christ,  Pray for us.

Holy George, faithful Testimony of Jesus Christ,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Star that radiates most gloriously,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Victorious Trophy-Bearer of the Banner of Christ Resurrected,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Victorious with Christ in the good fight,  Pray for us.

Holy George, Saint of great power and mercy,  Pray for us.

Show us mercy, Save us, O Lord.

From every evil, Save us, O Lord.

From every sin, Save us, O Lord.

From sickness, hunger and war, Save us, O Lord.

From unattended death, Save us, O Lord.

From everlasting death, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of Your Death and Passion, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of St George’s merits and prayers, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of his true faith, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of his encompassing hope, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of his zealous love, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of his constance in difficulty, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of his perseverance until the end, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of his victory over the world, the body and the devil, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of the sufferings he endured, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of his endurance during the martyrdom, Save us, O Lord.

In honour of his holy death, Save us, O Lord.

Us sinners, Hear us, O Lord.

So that for St George’s prayers, Hear us, O Lord.

You will continue to protect your Church, Hear us, O Lord.

You may strengthen the Pope and your bishops, Hear us, O Lord.

The Church’s rights are always defended, Hear us, O Lord.

The soldiers abide by their duties in righteousness, Hear us, O Lord.

All Christians are united in one body, Hear us, O Lord.

All erroneous teaching will be put aside, Hear us, O Lord.

All sinners are attracted to you, Hear us, O Lord.

The sick and the elderly find solace in you, Hear us, O Lord.

Our love for the Heavenly kingdom is strengthened, Hear us, O Lord.

We obtain all the spiritual graces we ask of you, Hear us, O Lord.

Our children may receive good instruction, Hear us, O Lord.

Our youth find every protection in you, Hear us, O Lord.

We may have trust in your love, Hear us, O Lord.

You may defend our diocese and our Bishop, Hear us, O Lord.

You may protect our priests and religious, Hear us, O Lord.

You may protect our parish, Hear us, O Lord.

You may protect our industrious laity in the parish, Hear us, O Lord.

May you protect our Christian community, Hear us, O Lord.

You call to yourself all sinners, Hear us, O Lord.

We may become saints, Hear us, O Lord.

Jesus, Son of the Living God, Hear us, O Lord.

Christ, hear us, Christ, hear us.

Christ, receive our prayers, Christ, receive our prayers.