St George the New Martyr of Crete.

​St George the New Martyr of Crete is a relatively unknown saint insomuch as the fact that the GOARCH mobile app doesn’t even have an entry for him in the Synaxarion. But here’s what I found out from other sources outside the church.  He was a mail carrier for documents and proclamations by the revolutionary leaders and of course the Turks were extremely outraged. When they finally captured him, they cut out his tongue, ears, nose, hands and feet. Plus other certain not so family friendly parts of his body. Before this occurred he was asked to recant his faith in Christ and convert to Islam. However he stood fast to the teachings of Christ and did not recant leading to his torture as described above. 

What can we learn from George and his martyrdom? It’s obvious to me and it may be obvious to you reading that the most important thing we learn is to stand true to the faith. In a time when the world calls us to accept things that are foreign to the Church and her teachings and when some within the church would have us water down our own teachings to join with the Protestants and Catholics, those whose truly loyalties lie in the faith of the apostles and the teachings of the Orthodox Church will not waiver. St George could have easily taken the way out and became a Muslim for the sake of his own skin, like many did during the Russian Revolution where instead of Islam they rejected the church in favor of Communism, but St George did not. He esteemed Christ and heaven higher than any earthly pleasure. He longed for the Bosom of Abraham, the place where there is no sighing or suffering, but only life everlasting.

It is therefore my prayer and should be the prayer of all of us, that if so desired by God that we will suffer for our faith that we may be found worthy and would not surrender even in the face of certain death. May St George the New Martyr of Crete intercede for us on our behalf. 

Amen.