We may have hidden ourselves away out of a fear of getting caught up in a passionate cause. There are other ways that we might be like Saint Barbara. It can take considerable initiative simply to find our deepest beliefs. It takes additional commitment to develop effective ways to express those values. Both parts of such a project require enormous tenacity.
Life serves up plenty of opposition to maintaining an inner life.
Holding onto a vision calls for powerful resolve. Still, if we are dedicated, the vitality of the soul somehow manages to endure through many dangers. This survival sometimes involves seemingly miraculous assistance. At the end of this journey, like Saint Barbara, we will die. If, like her, we have been strong and loyal to what we find to be true and beautiful, it will have been a good life.