The Catholic Parish of
Saint John Henry Newman

 Covering most of East Leeds

St George And The Dragon.

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Once upon a time, long, long ago, a poor traveller who was tired and hungry after a long journey on horseback, eventually arrived at a wayside inn. The sign over the inn identified it as St George and the Dragon. It was very late and the inn was closed for the night, but in desperation he knocked on the stout wooden door, but received no answer. He banged on the door even louder this time, then an upstairs window opened and a woman’s head appeared and looked down on him. “Madam,” he said, “I have travelled far and I am tired and hungry and need food and a bed for the night.” The innkeeper’s wife glared down at him before saying, “Clear off, we’re closed,” and slammed the window shut. The man knocked again even louder this time, the widow opened and the woman shouted, “Clear off, or I’ll set the dog on you.” “I’m really sorry to bother you again,” said the man, “But if it’s not too much trouble, would it be possible for me to speak to St George for a moment.”

There’s a mixture of George and the Dragon in each of us. Enabling the saint in us to emerge and flourish is hard work; in fact it’s the task of a lifetime. Figuring out life and making sense of it all, thus allowing the saint in us to prevail over the dragon is painful and slow work and cannot be achieved alone. But this is work that must be done, if we are to become the selves God had in mind when he created us all. To become what God is calling us to be, takes time and sometimes it is hard to give up a cherished idea, as we are all creatures of habit and we like our own way. The demons within us don’t like to die without a fight and at the same time we have to be careful lest in fighting the dragon, we become the dragon.

We are all different beings, some Christians are like wheelbarrows and they are no good unless pushed. Some are like trailers, they have to be pulled. But some Christians are filled with the spirit of the living God.

“A wrongdoer is often a man who has left something undone, not always one who has done something.
Whenever we don’t do what we know we should, we can only kid ourselves for so long”.



Published Sun 31st Jan 2016 11:44:24
Last Modified on Sun 31st Jan 2016 11:44:24

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