Anybody following these blog posts would know that I have much affection for the Acts of the Apostles, that early history of the Church, with Apostolic characters running enthusiastically around the Holy Land, while the body of the Christians steadily grows, bursts forth into Syria, and then further afield, travelling westward towards the imperial capital at Rome. Today we honoured one of those Apostolic characters, the Cypriot Joseph, whom the Apostles renamed Barnabas, perhaps because he was a consolation to them in his zeal.
"There was a Levite called Joseph, a Cypriot by birth, to whom the Apostles gave the fresh name of Barnabas, which means, the man of encouragement; he had an estate, which he sold, and brought the purchase-money to lay it at the apostles’ feet." - Acts of the Apostles, 4: 36-37
Barnabas was already of the Jewish priestly caste, the tribe of Levi, and it would have been natural for him to be one of the first Christian priests. As can be seen with his very introduction (above), he was high in the estimation of the Apostles, a source of encouragement to them on the Christian mission. In the reading at Mass today, we get a picture of Barnabas' friendship with Saint Paul. After Paul's conversion to Christianity and a brief sojourn in the Holy Land and contact with the Apostolic headquarters in Jerusalem, he had returned home to Cilicia, in the south-east corner of Asia Minor. The reading takes us to a point where Christianity has spread marvellously to the north of Syria, where the great Greek metropolis of Antioch-on-the-Orontes has developed a strong Christian community. Jerusalem sends Barnabas up on the mission, and Saint Luke takes this opportunity to give us an appreciation of Barnabas' character:
"But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they found their way to Antioch, spoke to the Greeks as well, preaching the Lord Jesus to them. And the Lord’s power went with them, so that a great number learned to believe, and turned to the Lord. The story of this came to the ears of the Church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas on a mission to Antioch. When he came there and saw what grace God was bestowing on them, he was full of joy, and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with steady purpose of heart, like the good man he was, full of the Holy Spirit, full of faith; a great multitude was thus won over to the Lord." - Acts of the Apostles, 11: 20-24
It wasn't a one-man job. Barnabas ran off to nearby Cilicia to find Paul, and they spent at least a year in Antioch, where we were for the first time called Christians:
"He went on to Tarsus, to look for Saul, and when he found him, brought him back to Antioch. For a whole year after this they were made welcome in the Church there, teaching a great multitude. And Antioch was the first place in which the disciples were called Christians." - Acts of the Apostles, 11: 25-26
Mass was offered this morning for vocations to the priesthood and the Religious life, a significant weekly intention. The Mass has always been our mainstay and our strength, from those early days until today. The Mass endures because the priesthood endures. We must always pray for more men to come forward to this sacred ministry. Meanwhile, there are still others, men and women, who are called to the life of the Gospel as it was lived by the primitive church - these are the Religious Brothers and Sisters of the several Orders and Congregations, who sustain the Church and the World through their lives of prayer and sacrifice. May we ever have generous souls, who will give of themselves to Christ and His Church and so advance the Christian cause. In this desire and in our continued pursuit of Christ, may Saint Barnabas be our strong help and guide.
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