Today is the feast day of St. George, our patron. There are a number of legends about St. George, and I find it sad how many Catholics attempt to write them off as ancient myths. Whether they admit their bias or not, it is usually pretty clear that they are in the grip of scientism. Science has many good things to show us, for which we should be thankful. Scientists, however, often think they know much more than they actually do. Because of this, science can also take hold of us and push away from anything mysterious, and especially away from the miraculous. So, let me get right down to it: I could not tell you what the beast actually looked like, but St. George slew a dragon . It was not an idea that he slew, it was also not an unbathed person , or a sinful attitude in his heart (I am sure he did the latter, but that is not what the dragon is referring to). Did it have scales? I do not know. Did it breathe fire? I also do not know. I like to think that both are true, but in the end it does not matter. There was a beast of some kind and it was called by our forefathers (many of whom knew more about the world we live in than we do today!) a dragon. To deny that it was a real animal of some sort is a bit childish. It is comparable to a toddler not believing that the dog will bite because he never bit before. There is nothing contrary to our Catholic faith to believe that the dragon was real. There may be aspects of modern scientism that run contrary to actual dragons, but then science changes its stripes every couple of years with a new theory, so that is not surprising. If you really doubt that it was an actual dragon, then it is not because the Bible does not speak of dragons (it does), nor is it because it is un-catholic (it is not), nor is it because history has no reference to dragons ( it is filled with them ; from numerous cultures). So then, give up any doubt. St. George slew something, though we do not know exactly what it was. It certainly was scary and threatening, or he would not have slain it (i.e. it was not a gecko). The world is far more fascinating and mysterious than what we have discovered, and it would do us well to humble ourselves by recognizing some animals are not in the modern taxonomy. Thank St. George that he was brave enough to do so, and pray for the strength to slay whatever dragons the Lord sends your way. And since it is his feast day, ask St. George for a little extra help.