Walking with the Saints l Feast of St. Barbara, Patron Saint of all Firearms Makers l December 4

Walking with the Saints l Feast of St. Barbara, Patron Saint of all Firearms Makers l December 4      Our saint for today is St. Barbara, a great martyr of the mid - 3rd century. She is invoked as patroness by firearms makers, artillery men (soldiers, Navy), mathematicians, miners, and those who worked with cannons and explosives. But she is mostly invoked against lightning, the reason for which will be revealed in this story. St. Barbara was born of a rich pagan couple in Heliopolis, Phoenicia (modern Lebanon). After the death of her mother, Dioscorus, her father, built a tower and locked her up there to protect her, as he was a very possessive man. Besides him, only her pagan teachers would associate with her. Barbara was an extremely beautiful girl. She spent her days admiring all God’s creation from her tower and wondered who created all such things. Soon, she realized that the idols her father and teachers worshipped were not true gods. She secretly sought to know the true God and upon knowing Him, she chose to offer herself completely, through consecrated virginity. When, Dioscorus, asked Barbara to marry one of her suitors, she strongly refused. Hoping that seeing the world would change her attitude, Dioscorus allowed Barbara to leave her tower, but she used this opportunity to meet other Christians and learn about Christianity. She was secretly baptized by a priest from Alexandria. While Barbara was out, her father built a private bath-house for her with two windows. When Barbara arrived, she asked the workers to add another window, to honor the Trinity. Miracles would happen later in that bath-house. When Barbara told her father that she became a Christian, he grabbed his sword to strike her due to his anger. But Barbara ran off. Her father ran after her but she was able to hide in a small hill until someone betrayed her. When Dioscorus found Barbara, he dragged her home, and locked her in her room to starve her. He then brought her to Martianus, the prefect of the city to be tortured. Martianus beat her asking her to renounce her newly found faith. But Barbara was brave and strong. She prayed to Jesus and Jesus gave her the strength to stand firm. Together with Juliana, another Christian woman they were beaten and led naked throughout the city. An angel miraculously came and gave them robes and torches that prevented their torturers to come near them. Finally, Martianus condemned her to death by beheading and ordered Dioscorus to kill his own daughter. Her martyrdom took place on the 4th of December. As punishment from God Dioscorus and Martianus were both struck by lightning and died and their bodies turned immediately into ashes. This is the reason why St. Barbara is invoked for protection against thunderstorm, lightning and fire. Besides being invoked against lightning and fires and the ones we have already mentioned earlier, it is also St. Barbara whom many Christians pray when someone is seriously sick to be assured that the person will receive the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion at the hour of death. In the sixth century, the relics of St. Barbara were brought to Constantinople. Centuries later, they were taken to Kiev by the daughter of Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenos. Today, they are venerated at the St. Vladimir Cathedral at Kiev, Ukraine, Eastern Europe. In this modern era there are many churches around the world dedicated to the great martyr, St. Barbara. Virtues: humility, simplicity, bravery, fortitude, piety, fidelity       Prayer: St. Barbara, protect us from fires and lightning and insure for us a happy death.