Holy Martyrs Romanus the Deacon and the Child Barula (+303)
The holy Martyr Romanus was a deacon of the church of Caesarea in Palestine. When the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284–305) began to persecute the Christians, he moved to Antioch and strengthened the Christians in the faith.
Once Asclepiades, the governor of Antioch, decided to destroy a Christian church. Saint Romanus called on the believers to defend the holy place: “If we defend the church, we shall rejoice even in this world, in the Church militant; and if we perish defending it, we shall celebrate in the heavenly Church triumphant!” When the governor saw the people’s firmness, he did not dare to carry out his evil intention.
Some time passed. A great multitude of people from the whole region gathered in Antioch for a pagan feast. Saint Romanus met Asclepiades on his way to the festivities with the crowd, and called on them to abandon the service of idols and follow Christ. For this the blessed deacon was seized and handed over to torture. The holy martyr bore the torments without a word. When the tormentor called Christianity fanaticism, the blessed one, by God’s providence, pointed Asclepiades to the child Barula, who was standing nearby, and said to him: “This child is wiser than you, an old fool: he is young in years, but he knows the true God, while you do not know God.” Astonished at so unexpected a rebuke, the governor called the child to him and asked: “Friend, which god do you worship?” “Jesus Christ,” the blessed one answered. “In what is your Christ better than our gods?” Asclepiades asked again. “In that He is the true God; He created and redeemed us all,” the child replied. The angry tormentor ordered the child to be scourged. Saint Barula bore the merciless beating patiently. Almost drained of blood, the holy child asked for a little water. Then the mother of the child martyr stepped out of the crowd and urged her son to endure everything for Christ. At last Asclepiades gave the order for the child to be beheaded. The mother herself led her son to the place of execution, embracing and kissing him, calming him and strengthening him not to be afraid of the raised sword: “My sweetest one, do not fear death; you will not die, you will live without end. When they strike you with the sword, the angels will receive you and carry you away to the regions of paradise, to the dwelling of eternal blessedness. There Christ will embrace you, you will become the friend of all the saints, and I too will soon come to you, very soon.” With these words the valiant woman led Saint Barula to the executioner’s block. The child martyr died without even letting out a groan. The mother bathed with tears the holy body of her son, who had died for Christ, and committed it to the earth.
Saint Romanus was sentenced to be burned, but suddenly a heavy rain put out the pyre. The Lord’s chosen one began to sing in praise of Christ. The governor ordered his tongue to be cut out, but even with his tongue cut out the blessed one still praised the King of heaven aloud. At last, by the tormentor’s order, the saint was strangled (+303).
