And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us (Acts 17:26-27). These are very deep words, for God must precisely be felt. This is the great mystery of the knowledge of God.
You cannot get to know God with your mind—you can only feel Him with your heart. This is how the sixteen-year-old girl Barbara began to feel God in her heart. Her father, a wealthy and noble Roman, was a stubborn pagan, and, of course, she was not brought up in the knowledge of the True God. He did not want her to know people and the world. He permanently kept her locked up in a high tower, from the windows of which wide views of fields, meadows and forests opened. At night, Barbara would admire the glow of stars. And so, looking at nature, at its great harmony and beauty, at the amazing order that reigns in it, the maiden thought ever deeper about who created all this.
When she talked about this with her maidservants, they answered: “The gods whom your father honors created all this.” But Barbara seriously doubted: “Is it possible that soulless idols made of silver and gold by people could create the whole world? There must be one True God Who rules over the whole world. He must be good. He must be absolutely different from the pagan gods.” Barbara came to this thought, and the Lord gave her the true, deep knowledge of Himself.
One day Barbara’s father left for a long time and allowed her in his absence to leave the tower and walk in the garden. There she met some Christian girls, started a conversation with them about God, and they told her about the Lord Jesus and the Holy Trinity. Her spirit was kindled with deep love, and the Lord sent her a priest who enlightened and baptized her. On his return Barbara’s father learned that his daughter had embraced the Christian faith.
This sacrament of faith is still taking place in the hearts of people who feel God. This faith draws them to God, and they respond to the call. Children, boys and girls, who have not been taught the true faith by anyone, still come to the Church. Their living conditions are even worse than those that Great-Martyr Barbara had. Everywhere they only heard that there is no God [St. Luke served in the Soviet era when the faith was persecuted.—Trans.], and yet some unknown force draws them to the Church of God. They enter hesitantly, gaze around, listen to the hymns attentively, and look closely at the whole order of services. And all this has a transforming effect on their souls, because in the Church they begin to feel God in their hearts. And their hearts—those of children and youth—are not yet stained by the filth of life, not spoiled, not overshadowed by the darkness of sin, and are pure and able to perceive God.
And they convert to the faith and get to know God. Let us give thanks to Him for touching young hearts so tenderly and so graciously. Let us give thanks for the fact that He raised up the holy lamb Barbara for us like a beacon of light. After all, if it were not for such chosen ones of God, burning with love and faith in Him, our lives would have been miserable, unhappy and dark, like an autumn night. Who else would have helped us to walk in this darkness? Who else would have warmed up our hearts, which are badly affected by the cold of life? Who else would have enlightened us, who else would have showed us the truth and light? Who else would have taken us by the hand and led us along the terrible road of this sinful life in the world? Who else would have strengthened us in the faith? Who, if not these beacons of light? Those in whose hearts faith burns brightly, whose love is fiery, like that of the Cherubim and the Seraphim, light up our way in the darkness of life. The Lord knew that man would get lost on the thorny path of worldly life if there were no righteous people, and He raised up them in multitudes throughout all the ages.
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. Amen.
