Happy Saint Barbara’s Day

IMMINENT DOOM, ANYONE?  I would be remiss if I failed to point out today is the Feast Day of St. Barbara, the namesake for both the city and county of Santa Barbara. Like so many saints, the story of St. Barbara is pretty grisly, and the details explain why she has long been considered the patron saint for those facing imminent doom.

Barbara grew up somewhere in modern-day Syria, and her father — a merchant trader — depended upon the good graces of the Roman authorities for his livelihood. While he was out of town on a business trip, Barbara — then a good-looking young woman — succumbed to the theological charms of a charismatic, handsome Christian evangelist. Christianity at the time was strictly verboten. Inspired by the Holy Trinity, Barbara ordered three windows to be inserted into a tower then under construction as part of a major remodel of her family home.

When her father returned, he flipped his gourd that his daughter had converted. Rather than turn her into the authorities, he took her out behind a nearby hill and smote her himself. God, not looking favorably at what was clearly a hate crime, responded in kind and zapped Barbara’s father with a bolt of lightning, leaving him a pile of smoldering embers.