COLLECT: “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 GOD THE FATHER IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Acts 11:21b-26,13:1-3; Ps 97:1-6 and Mt 5:13-16
Barnabas was one of the Apostles of Jesus. He was born in Cyprus and named Joseph. He was converted shortly after Pentecost and he gave up all his possessions and received the name Barnabas, which means “Son of Consolation” (or “Son of Encouragement”). The simple reason being that he was helpful and optimistic in nature. Barnabas assisted the newly converted Paul and accompanied him for a while on his First Missionary journey. Tradition has it that Barnabas was martyred in Cyprus around the 60s AD.
Barnabas had great Christian virtues and qualities. He represents a wonderful example of how to help or assist newly converted Christians. He also represents those who bring consolation and encouragement to people undergoing disappointment, sorrow, pain, and discouragement. He demonstrated strong faith and ministered joyfully with kindness and encouragement. Barnabas taught new believers further lessons about God (Cf. Acts 9:26-30).
Barnabas’ life is a great lesson for us. He became a new or a changed person at his conversion. He accepted Christ whole-heartedly and he lived by the word of God, thereby making his ‘yes’ be “Yes” to Jesus Christ and his ‘no’ be “No” to his old life. Also, what Barnabas promised (swore) at his conversion to do, he held on to that till his martyrdom. He had to give up all his possessions so that they might not be a hindrance to him in his ministry. Barnabas really lived Jesus’ Beatitudes.
In a sense, Barnabas adhered to Jesus’ exhortation that we are and should be salt of the earth and light of the world. As ‘the salt of the earth’, we should give taste to the world by making the world a better place for ourselves and for others to live in. Our loving and cheerful deeds should make the world an attractive place for people. Even though we are in the world but not for the world, we should work to add more meaning to it, make it ‘delicious, palatable and enjoyable’ for ourselves and for others to live in.
As salt that serves as a preservative, we are to preserve the world by our good, impartial and incorruptible deeds and actions. If our actions corrupt the world and make it an evil and rotten place, then we are failed followers of Jesus. We should therefore act as moral disinfectants of society, working to maintain moral standards in society by being virtuous and law-abiding. This will preserve society from moral disintegration.
We should be ready and willing to dissolve ourselves like salt does for plants and animals for growth and strength. We dissolve ourselves when we are ready to ‘lose ourselves’ by spending and sacrificing our time, energy and resources so that other people may live better lives in the world.
As ‘the light of the world’, followers of Jesus like light should be able to illuminate and shine in dark areas so that people may move about freely and without fear. Our lives should be shining examples for others to follow and imitate without fear of falling into error. Otherwise, it will be better to tie rocks to our necks and throw us into the seawater. Light cannot be hidden and it should not, otherwise it has no use. We should therefore endeavour not to hide behind the world, behind our workplaces and offices or hide behind people. We must show ourselves as Jesus’ disciples and be living examples in all parts of the world and in all spheres of human life: in politics, business, Civil service, military service, religious life as well as in public service. We should be conspicuous through our good deeds and shining examples wherever we find ourselves. We should attract people like light, drawing people to Christ and not repel people from coming to Christ. We should give life, love and warmth to our families, communities, workplaces and to the world as a whole.
We should ask ourselves today regarding our calling to be ‘Salt’ and ‘Light’ of the world/society if we have fallen short in any of the areas where we should behave as such. May the Lord forgive us. On the other hand, if we have been doing our best as ‘salt’ and ‘light’ of the world, in terms of fighting evil in the world, let us thank the Lord for giving us the graces to do that and pray that he may empower us the more. Let us emulate the virtues and examples of the ‘Old Barnabas’ in our homes/families, workplaces, in society and in the world as a whole. Please, remember Mt 25:31-46 (THE LAST JUDGMENT”. May Saint Barnabas intercede for us. Stay blessed and happy feast to all bearing the name Barnabas.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, THURSDAY, ON THE MYSTERIES OF LIGHT: ‘THE BAPTISM OF JESUS, THE WEDDING AT CANA, THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM, THE TRANSFIGURATION, AND THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST’. (WE PRAY FOR OPENNESS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, PRAY TO JESUS THROUGH MARY, FOR REPENTANCE AND TRUST IN GOD, THE DESIRE FOR HOLINESS, AND WE PRAY FOR THE SPIRIT OF ADORATION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “AS WE RECEIVE THE PLEDGE OF ETERNAL LIFE, WE HUMBLY IMPLORE YOU, LORD, THAT WHAT WE CELEBRATE IN SACRAMENTAL SIGNS ON THE MEMORIAL OF THE BLESSED APOSTLE BARNABAS WE MAY NEVER ONCE BEHOLD UNVEILED. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN.”
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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