Tir 18 — January 26

Remembering Saint George (Gregory), the Brave One

Today we remember a holy man named Saint George, who is also called Gregory. He loved Jesus with his whole heart, and he was very brave. He stayed faithful to God even when it cost him his life, and so we call him a martyr.

Long after he had gone home to God, the people kept his memory alive. On this day they especially remembered him with love and thanksgiving. When we remember the saints, we are not sad. We are thankful, because they showed us how to be faithful and kind.

Saint George reminds us that being brave does not mean we are never scared. It means we keep loving God and doing what is right, trusting that God is always taking care of us. We can ask Saint George to pray for us, so we can be brave and faithful too.

Being brave means loving God and doing what is right, trusting that He always takes care of us.

Abba Jacob, the Kind Bishop of Nisibis

Today we also remember Abba Jacob, a holy father who lived in a city called Nisibis (say it like "NIH-sih-bis"). He was the teacher of another famous saint named Ephraim. From the time he was young, Abba Jacob wanted to spend his whole life with God.

He became a monk, giving his days to quiet prayer. He wore simple, scratchy clothes, he prayed all through the day and the night, and he ate only plants from the ground and drank only rainwater. He did not complain when it was hot in summer or cold in winter. Because he loved God so much, his face seemed to shine with light.

God gave Abba Jacob a special gift: he could tell people what was going to happen before it happened. One day on the road, he found some men who thought a sick man had died. Abba Jacob prayed, and God made the man well and alive again. The men were so happy and thankful.

Because Abba Jacob was so good and wise, the people chose him to be their bishop, to watch over many churches at once. He cared for God's people gently and kept them safe. He even helped write the prayer about our true faith that Christians still say today.

Once, an army came to attack the city of Nisibis. Abba Jacob prayed, and God sent a great cloud that made the army's horses turn around and run away. The city was saved, and nobody was hurt. When Abba Jacob grew old, he died in peace and went home to God, whom he loved so much.

His food was the plants of the earth, and his drink was only rain-water, and for this reason his soul sent forth much light.— the Synaxarium