St. barbara’s
branch
Matthew, Chapter 15, verse 32
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My
heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for
three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for
fear they may collapse on the way.”
This
chapter of Matthew records the feeding of the four thousand. Some would say
that God has no fear but here we see that Christ was afraid for the welfare of
the multitude. He knows our needs and is concerned for them. After all, “I am
the good shepherd… I know my sheep, and mine know me.” (John 10:14)
Christ
knows that even if our hearts desires are in the right place and we have
perfect self-control we must acknowledge the legitimate needs of the
body. We are both spirit and body; the perfection of the creator, which the fallen
angels despise. We must care for both because both are the gift of God.
Christ
says, “They have been with me now for three days and have had nothing to eat”.
I suggest that we follow His advice starting this week if we can to participate
in Mass sometime during our midweek so we may not collapse along the way.
I also
suggest now would be a good time to look for a retreat of three days in which
you can be with the Lord knowing He will not send you away hungry.
Feast of St. Barbara [1]
Barbara (from Nicomedia) was the daughter of a pagan noble who
worshipped false gods. Because of her striking beauty, her father enclosed her
in a tower to hide her from the snares of men. Barbara vowed virginity, and
during an absence of her father had a third window added to her quarters in
honor of the Blessed Trinity; at the same time, she also adorned her bath with
the sign of the holy Cross. Upon his return her father was so angered over
these changes that a miracle was needed to save her life. She was presented
before the magistrate, subjected to much torturing, and finally her own father
wielded the sword that severed her head. Immediately God's vengeance struck him
dead. The holy virgin is highly honored both in the East and the West as
patroness of artillery men and of miners. She is especially invoked for
preservation from sudden death. She is one of the "Fourteen Holy
Helpers."
In the past, the following
prayer to St. Barbara was often recited:
Saint
Barbara, thou noble bride,
To thee my body I confide
As well in life as at life's end.
Come, aid me when I breathe my last,
That I may, ere here all is past,
Receive the Blessed Sacrament!
To thee my body I confide
As well in life as at life's end.
Come, aid me when I breathe my last,
That I may, ere here all is past,
Receive the Blessed Sacrament!
Barbara Branches
St. Barbara, one of the Fourteen Holy
Helpers, is the patron saint of artillerymen, miners, and a happy death. Though
her feast on December 4 obviously belongs to the cycle of saints and not to the
temporal cycle of Advent, there is a custom observed in her honor that ties
into the meaning of the Advent season. A Barbara branch is the
name given to a twig that is broken from a fruit tree (especially cherry),
placed in a bowl of water, and kept in a warm, well-lit part of the house, such
as the kitchen. According to legend, if the Barbara branch blooms on or before
Christmas Day, good luck will come to the person whose branch it is. Aside from
this harmless superstition, Barbara branches are reminiscent of the image from
Isaiah of Christ as a Flower from the root of Jesse (Is. 11.2; the
Epistle for Advent Ember Friday); they can thus be instructive in teaching
children the meaning of Advent and Christmas. They are also used as the Saint's
tribute to the Christ Child in the manger, lovingly placed in the crèche
when they have blossomed.
Things to Do
·
Celebrating for the Feast of St.
Barbara.
See also Painting Angels, Saints and Their
Symbols for
a description of St. Barbara's symbols.
·
Further reading:
-
Read about the German custom of St. Barbara's Twig, where every
member of the family puts a small cherry or peach branch into water so that it
will blossom on Christmas. If you have a young lady in your home desiring
marriage, the custom of St. Barbara's Cherry Twigs will have St. Barbara pick
the right husband for young unmarried girls. An alternative idea to this custom
would be forcing Amaryllis or other bulbs to bloom for Christmas. Start the
bulbs today!
·
St. Barbara is the patron of artillerymen. Offer your rosary or
say a prayer for all our enlisted men and women who are in harm's way. This
page provides the Legend of St. Barbara
and the explanation why she is the patron of artillerymen. Read the Ballad
of St. Barbara by G. K. Chesterton.
Daily
Devotions
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