Offices in the Vatican are marking today’s feast of St. George (Jorge in Spanish) with celebration, as it is the feast day of Pope Francis’ baptismal saint. Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina on Dec. 17, 1936, and was baptized a week later, on Christmas night.
Vatican Radio shared a reflection from Monsignor Peter Fleetwood about St. George, who is patron of England, and is generally depicted as a soldier fighting a dragon to save someone else’s life.
Dragons may be mythical animals, but myths contains symbols and symbols sum up some aspect of life that is very important or powerful: “I suspect the dragon represents evil in any form. Some people may not like to hear this , but the dragon may represent evil people,” the monsignor said.
“The dragon is a symbol of the power evil people can wield in this world. They can force good people into submission and either damage them or humiliate them or lead them astray. This is a frightening reality, and it is a reminder that sometimes goodness and holiness mean bravery in the face of wickedness. At a baptism, the new Christian is exorcised, not because she or he is possessed, but because the Christian Church recognizes where human power runs out and we simply have to rely on God.
“Saint George is a reminder that we need help to survive when evil is about. It may be a naive symbolism, but the pictures and statues of Saint George are all about the battle between good and evil. They also hark back to what Jesus said about his sheep. He was there to protect them, because they needed protection. Saint George is a reminder that sometimes good people are called upon to bother to be brave and offer that protection in place of Jesus.”
