23 Apr – Memorial for St. George, martyr; Memorial for St. Adalbert, bishop & martyr
St. George (d. 304) was a soldier who was martyred for his faith. That’s all we know for sure.
Several stories have been attached to St. George, the best known of which is the ‘Golden Legend’. In it, a dragon lived in a lake near Silena, Libya. Whole armies had gone up against this fierce creature, and had gone down in painful defeat. The monster ate two sheep each day; when mutton was scarce, lots were drawn in local villages, and maidens were substituted for sheep. Into this country came St. George. Hearing the story on a day when a princess was to be eaten, he crossed himself, rode to battle against the serpent and killed it with a single blow with his lance. George then held forth with a magnificent sermon, and converted the locals. Given a large reward by the king, George distributed it to the poor, then rode away.
Due to his chivalrous behaviour (protecting women, fighting evil, dependence on faith and might of arms, largesse to the poor), devotion to St. George became popular in Europe after the 10th century. In the 15th century, his feast day was as popular and important as Christmas. Many of his areas of patronage have to do with life as a knight on horseback. The celebrated ‘Knights of the Garter’ are actually ‘Knights of the Order of St. George’. The shrine built for his relics at Lydda, Palestine, was a popular point of pilgrimage for centuries.
He is also one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
- Patron Saint Index
St. Adalbert (957–997) was born to the Bohemian nobility. He took the name of St. Adalbert of Magdeburg, the archbishop who healed, educated and converted him. He became Bishop of Prague (in the modern Czech Republic) on Feb 10, 982. He was a friend of Emperor Otto III.
Adalbert encouraged the evangelization of the Magyars, and worked on it with St. Astricus. He was opposed by the nobility in Prague and unpopular in the area, so he withdrew to Rome, Italy and became a Benedictine monk, making his vows on Apr 17, 990. But Pope John XV sent him back to Prague anyway.
He founded the monastery of Brevnov, met more opposition from the nobility and returned to Rome. There being no hope of his working in Prague, he was allowed to (unsuccessfully) evangelise in Pomerania, Poland, Prussia, Hungary and Russia. He and his fellow missionaries were martyred by Prussians near Koenigsberg or Danzig at the instigation of a pagan priest. Not long before his death, Adalbert met and was a great inspiration to St. Boniface of Querfurt.
- Patron Saint Index
Acts 9:1-20
Jn 6:52-59
…there came a light from heaven all round him.
The Case for Christ, which was made into a movie by PureFlix, is a book by a former atheist who started off attempting to discredit the Christian faith, but ended up becoming a convert. It began with the conversion of his wife, which prompted him to find evidence that would disprove Christianity. He applied his skills as an investigative journalist to interview several renowned religious scholars about Christianity, a process which proved to be a life-changing experience for him. Although it appeared that he converted in the face of overwhelming evidence for the existence of God and Jesus, and the authenticity of biblical content, I am quite sure that he must have had a personal encounter with Jesus through his investigations.
The conversion experience of Saul is perhaps one of the most dramatic in the gospel. Perhaps Saul needed something of that nature to cause him to make a complete turnaround towards Christianity. I have read Bishop Barron’s book To Light a Fire On the Earth, and in it, there is a quote from Pope Benedict XVI that Bishop Barron specifically states as something that Christians should always keep within sight. It is a statement from the document Deus Caritas Est – “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction”.
A lot of people approach religion purely with reason and logic; and while that might be helpful in convincing one about the truth of Christ’s teachings, faith must come into the picture at some point. And faith is something that is often sparked by personal encounters with the Lord, helping us realise that there is a creator who loves us.
How have you encountered Jesus in your life? It might have been through a crisis, a miraculous occurrence, however big or small, people you meet, or sometimes, the ‘voice in your head’. Whatever the encounters are, how did they give your life a new horizon and a decisive direction?
(Today’s OXYGEN by Edith Koh)
Prayer: We pray that we will be open and receptive to encountering the Lord in every aspect of our lives.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the gift of faith.
OXYGEN 
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