Dragonslayers

Our new men's group at St. George parish has chosen the name "Dragonslayers". We are trying to chart a new course in the direction of men's ministry because we want to keep the focus on our salvation. There are a lot of things that we can get involved in as Catholics, but many of them end up keeping us busy without actually helping us on the road to Heaven.

In using a name like "Dragonslayers" they are saying they want to associate clearly with our Patron, St. George himself. We also are wanting to make that a reality. We all have "dragons" that we need to slay on a regular basis, and to state that openly helps to keep us humble and it reminds us of what our goals really are: to kill those sinful habit "dragons" that plague each one of us.

I have always had a bit of fascination at the idea of dragons, and I like the fact that they have often served as an image of the enemies of God. Some dragons need to be slain, and others need to be enslaved. An interesting twist on this is the fact that there are two different St. George legends. One says he slew a dragon, and the other says that he tamed it. I like to think that he did both (and yes, I do believe that there was an actual dragon of some sort).

In the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, at the end of the letter, St. Paul gives a clear admonition directly to the men. In the RSVCE it is a bit of an unfortunate translation. It merely puts the wording as "be courageous". While that is somewhat the sense of the original Greek word, it is insufficient. The actual word is a verbal form of the word "man". The older Douai Rheims is closer with "do manfully", but the most literal translation is "be manly". This is what it means to be a Dragonslayer: act like a man.

So to the men in my parish (and any others who wish to be a part of what we are doing), I give you this admonition. Take the name Dragonslayers with joy and make sure that it is not just a name. Be strong and take courage; we are in this together and we can help each other slay and tame the dragons that we encounter and wrestle with. God commands us to do so, and gives us the means to accomplish it. "As iron sharpens iron, so does a man sharpen a man."