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Acts: 11: 21-26, 13: 1-3
In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger,
Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.
The Word of the Lord.
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Barnabas, who was like, “the salt of the earth, the light of the world.”
Interestingly, Barnabas wasn’t his real name. It was Joseph. Joseph received his “new” name from the Apostles after proving himself to be a man of deep faith and sturdy character. His name, Barnabas, means, son of encouragement.
We first encounter Barnabas in chapter 4 of the Acts of the Apostles after he sells a large field, laying the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles.
But his greatest contribution to the Church was playing the role of bridge builder – vouching for one man, in particular, Saint Paul.
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Saint Paul was once a vicious man who “breathed murderous threats” against the Church, imprisoning and harming Christians before the Lord appeared to him, changing his heart.
After Paul’s conversion, the Holy Spirit sent Barnabas to speak to Paul, who brought him up to Jerusalem, introducing him to the Church authorities. Paul was only received into the Church after Barnabas vouched for him.
Paul and Barnabas then became partners in ministry, travelling 1,400 miles across Greece and Turkey, risking their lives to preach the Gospel together.
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Paul would go on to travel nearly 10,000 miles on foot before his missionary days were complete. Even today, he’s recognized as the greatest missionary of his time, if not in history. But it also begs the question, “What if Paul never met Barnabas?”
While Paul receives a lion’s share of credit for spreading the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean, Barnabas was the open door, first allowing him to enter into the Church.
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Perhaps there’s a word in that for us.
While there are some towering figures in the Church – popes, Saints, missionaries, and martyrs – often the Lord uses ordinary people like us to play smaller roles.
Like Barnabas, we may contribute financially to the Church; offer a word of encouragement; serve as an open door; or a mediator of grace.
Smaller gestures, which when added together, move the mission of the Church forward, sometimes in significant ways.
Saint Barnabas, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Speak With People (2) Christian Publishing House Blog (3) zencontrol