- St. Barbara the Great Martyr, Protectress from Sudden Death
“The holy Great-Martyr Barbara shines like a bright star in this firmament in Heavenly majesty. In addition to the amazing knowledge of God, to Whom she came with her pure heart, let us praise her boundless love for Him and her suffering for Him. She was led naked through the city streets, and with her another martyr, Juliana, who, seeing St. Barbara’s terrible tortures, confessed that she, too, was a Christian and was subjected to the same terrible torments. Perhaps this shame, the exposure of their pure virgin bodies, was worse than all the other torments.
Let us also bow before the way the fearless St. Barbara confessed her faith before her ferocious father. He so hated Christianity and honored the pagan gods that having heard from his daughter an exhortation to abandon idolatry and come to believe in the one True God, he immediately drew his sword and rushed at her with the aim of killing her. But the Lord miraculously saved His holy maiden. She was not destined to die a quick death from the sword, but to endure severe, terrible torture, after which her bestial father himself dragged her to the place of execution and cut off her head.
Let us try to be a little like St. Barbara. If martyrdom is the lot of the chosen few, then confession is obligatory for all. Just as Great-Martyr Barbara was not afraid of anything, so we should not be silent, but preach Christ to those who have not heard anything about Him, who live in the darkness of ignorance of God. We cannot hide our faith, but we must openly, holding our heads high, confess the Holy Trinity, for Whom the holy Great-Martyr Barbara laid down her life.”
St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), Archbishop of Crimea
https://orthochristian.com/149991.html
Russian Orthodox Church Protection of Mother of God
Russian Orthodox Church • Patriarchial Parishes in Canada
