SAINT BARNABAS, THE GOOD MAN


SAINT BERNABAS, APOSTLE

Acts 11:21-26,13:1-3; Ps 98:1-6; Mt 5:17-19

The Reward of Commitment to the Faith

We celebrate the memorial of Saint Barnabas, the apostle. He was among the early converts to Christianity in Jerusalem. The scripture bears witness to his strong faith in the risen Lord, which is why the scripture describes him as filled with the Holy Spirit. As we have always noted, the Holy Spirit would be active in us to the extent we believe in Jesus Christ as the risen Lord. The faith of Barnabas was so great that he was one of the great people in the early Church in Jerusalem. We read that he sold his land and gave the entire proceeds to the apostles, who were in charge of the growing community. He is such a discerning man that he was sent to Antioch by the apostles to authenticate the many conversions of Gentiles to the Christian faith. “The church in Jerusalem heard about this and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. There he could see for himself that God had given grace, and this pleased him, and he urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion; for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith.” The new converts listened to him and committed their lives to Jesus Christ more because he was an excellent example of commitment.

Saint Barnabas demonstrates for us how faith in the Lord increases. Our Christian faith increases by the practice of the Christian life and demands and not by any other means. Our faith increases when we put it into practice and make commitments to it. We can say the same of the unction of the Holy Spirit. The more we listen to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, the more we develop our communion with him and through him with Jesus Christ. Because of Barnabas’ familiarity with the Holy Spirit, he discerned the authenticity of Paul’s conversion and vouched for him when he came to Jerusalem. Concerning his eagerness to follow the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostles and the church in Jerusalem sent him to authenticate the work of God at Antioch. He committed himself to overseeing the growth of that nascent church at Antioch. His authentic commitment to the Christian life and sacrifices brought so many to the faith. “And a large number of people were won over to the Lord. Barnabas then left for Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. As things turned out they were to live together in that church a whole year, instructing a large number of people.” The efficacy of our preaching of the Gospel draws much from our faith and commitment to the Lord. The pillars of Christian faith that the Lord gathered at Antioch made the church there a strong and missionary church.

Our Lord Jesus Christ consolidates this understanding with his words in the Gospel. Our commitment to the word of God is always the basis of our spiritual development. Our desire to accomplish the will of the Father must never diminish because of the difficulty we encounter, but our will must be resolute as we put our faith in the redeeming grace of God. “Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved.” The purpose of the Law was never to make us holy but to make us open to receive the redeeming graces of Jesus. The Law and the Prophets reveal to us the great and inestimable gifts we have received from God the Father in Jesus Christ. To understand these gifts is to entrust ourselves completely into the hands of God through faith in Jesus Christ. This understanding constituted the five great pillars in the church of Antioch, the prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, and Paul. They were great because they kept the word of God with true devotion. Knowing their readiness to sacrifice themselves, the Holy Spirit entrusted the mission of preaching the Good News to Paul and Barnabas. “But the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.” No wonder Saint Barnabas is such a great man in the kingdom of heaven.    

Let us pray: O God, who decreed that Saint Barnabas, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, should be set apart to convert the nations, grant that the Gospel of Christ, which he strenuously preached, may be faithfully proclaimed by word and by deed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

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