Miyazya 23 — May 01

A Great Feast Day: Saint George!

Today is a very happy and special day! It is the great feast of Saint George. In Ethiopia, Saint George is one of the most loved saints of all. People call him "the great star of the East," because his story shines so brightly.

George grew up in a faraway land called Cappadocia (say it: cap-a-DOH-she-ah). His father was named Anastasius, and his mother was named Theobesta. When George grew up, he became a soldier, strong and brave. But more than anything else, George loved Jesus.

George the Brave

When George was twenty years old, he went to see the emperor, the powerful king who ruled over many lands. This emperor was named Dodyanos, and he was not a good king. He bowed down to idols, which are only statues and not God at all, and he wanted everyone else to bow down to them too.

George did not want to bow to idols. He loved the one true God. So he gave away all the money he had to people who were poor, and then he stood up in front of the mighty emperor and said out loud that he believed in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The emperor tried to change George's mind. He promised him riches and great honors if he would only stop loving Jesus. But George would not. He was faithful and true.

George gave away everything he had to people who were poor, and then stood up before the mighty emperor and said, "I believe in our Lord Jesus Christ."

God Gave Him Courage

Because George would not stop loving Jesus, the wicked emperor hurt him in many ways and made him suffer. But George was never alone. God stayed close to him. Every time George was hurt, God healed him and made him strong again. God even sent His holy angels to help George and to bring him food.

One day a man tried to give George a poisoned drink, hoping it would harm him. But God protected George, and the drink did not hurt him at all! When the man saw this, he too began to believe in Jesus. And when other people saw how brave George was, many of them chose to follow Jesus as well.

Wonderful Miracles

God did mighty things through Saint George. Once the emperor and his helpers were sitting on big wooden chairs called thrones. They said, "If your God is real, make these old wooden thrones grow leaves and fruit!" So George prayed, and right away the wooden thrones sprouted green leaves and grew real fruit. Everyone stared, hardly believing their eyes.

Another time, George stayed in the little house of a poor woman whose husband had died. There was a dry, dead stick of wood in her house. George prayed, and that dead stick grew into a tall, leafy tree! The woman had a little boy who could not see or hear or walk. George made the sign of the Cross over him, and the boy could see again. Soon he could hear and run and talk too. The happy mother learned to love Jesus.

George prayed, and the dry old stick grew into a tall tree full of green leaves — and the widow's little boy could see, and hear, and run again.

Home with God in Glory

Saint George stayed faithful to Jesus right to the very end. Even the emperor's own wife, the empress, listened to George tell the story of God: how God made the world and sent Jesus to save us. And she came to believe in Jesus too.

After George had suffered greatly and stayed brave through it all, God called him home to heaven. There Jesus gave him a crown, the special gift for those who love God all the way to the end. Before that, Jesus made him a beautiful promise.

George's friends carried him to a city called Leda and built a lovely church for him. In that church God did many miracles for the people who came to pray. To this very day, all around the world, people remember Saint George and ask God to help them in his name.

Whoever is in trouble or sick, and asks Me in your name, I will help him quickly.— the promise of Jesus to Saint George

Saint Roko, the Friend Jesus Healed

On this day we also remember a holy man named Roko. He loved God very much and prayed all the time, and God did marvelous signs through him.

One day Roko became very sick with a terrible illness called the plague. He prayed to God with many tears. Then our Lord Jesus came to him, sitting on a cloud from heaven, and said, "Do not be afraid, my beloved Roko. I have come to heal you." Jesus made Roko all better, and made a kind promise: anyone who is sick and prays to God in Roko's name will be kept safe and well. Roko lived a long, holy life of prayer, and then he died in peace.

Saint Stephana

Last of all, we send a loving greeting to Saint Stephana. She was a dear friend of another saint named Victor. We thank God for her and for all His holy friends.