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From: Acts 12:24-13:5a

Barnabas and Saul Return to Antioch

[25] And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had
fulfilled their mission, bringing with them John whose other name was
Mark.

The Mission of Barnabas and Paul

[1] Now in the Church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers,
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a
member of the court of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. [2] While they
were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart
for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
[3] Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and
sent them off.

They Arrive in Cyprus

[4] So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia;
and from there they sailed to Cyprus. [5a] When they arrived at
Salamis, they proclaimed the Word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.

Commentary:

24. St Luke contrasts the failure and downfall o the Church's
persecutors with the irresistible progress of the Word of God.

25. They "returned from Jerusalem": following the best Greek
manuscripts, the reading accepted by the New Vulgate is "returned to
Jerusalem" (cf. RSV note). However, it does not seem to fit in with
the end of Chapter 11 and the beginning of Chapter 13. Therefore, from
very early on many Greek manuscripts and translations (including the
Sixto-Clementine edition of the Vulgate) read "returned from
Jerusalem". It is not clear which is correct; the Navarre Spanish
follows the New Vulgate.

1. From this point onwards Luke's account centers on the Church of
Antioch. This was a flourishing community, with members drawn from all
sectors of society. In some respects its organization structure was
like that of the Jerusalem Church; in others, not. It clearly had
ordained ministers who were responsible for its government, who
preached and administered the Sacraments; along these we find prophets
(cf. 11:28) and teachers, specially trained members of the community.

In the early Church "teachers" were disciples well versed in Sacred
Scripture who were given charge of catechesis. They instructed the
catechumens and other Christians in the basic teaching of the Gospel as
passed on by the Apostles, and some of them had a capacity for
acquiring and communicating to others an extensive and profound
knowledge of the faith.

Teachers do not necessarily have to be priests or preachers. Preaching
was usually reserved to ordained ministers; teachers had an important
position in the Church: they were responsible for on-going doctrinal
and moral education and were expected faithfully to hand on the same
teaching as they themselves had received. A virtuous life and due
learning would have protected them against any temptation to invent new
teachings or go in for mere speculation not based on the Gospel (cf. 1
Timothy 4:7; 6:20; Titus 2:1).

The "Letter to Diognetus" describes the ideal Christian teacher: "I do
not speak of passing things nor do I go in search of new things, but,
like the disciple of the Apostles that I am, I become a teacher of
peoples. I do nothing but hand on what was given me by those who made
themselves worthy disciples of the truth" (XI, 1).

2-3. "Worship" of the Lord includes prayer, but it refers primarily to
the celebration of the Blessed Eucharist, which is at the center of all
Christian ritual. This text indirectly establishes a parallel between
the Mass and the sacrificial rite of the Mosaic Law. The Eucharist
provides a Christian with the nourishment he needs, and its celebration
"causes the Church of God to be built up and grow in stature" (Vatican
II, "Unitatis Redintegratio", 15). Significantly, the Eucharist is
associated with the start of this new stage in the expansion of the
Church.

Paul and Barnabas receive a missionary task directly from the Holy
Spirit, and by an external sign--the laying on of hands--the Antiochene
community prays to God to go with them and bless them. In His
promotion of the spread of the Church the Holy Spirit does not act at a
distance, so to speak. Every step in the progress of the Church in the
world is rightly attributed to the initiative of the Paraclete. It is
as if God were repeatedly ratifying His salvific plans to make it
perfectly plain that He is ever-faithful to His promises. "The mission
of the Church is carried out by means of that activity through which,
in obedience to Christ's command and moved by the grace and love of the
Holy Spirit, the Church makes itself fully present to all men and
people" (Vatican II, "Ad Gentes", 5).

The dispatch of Paul and Barnabas is inspired by the Holy Spirit, but
it is also an ecclesial act: the Church gives them this charge,
specifying God's plans and activating the personal vocation of the two
envoys.

The Lord, "who had set me apart before I was born and had called me by
his grace [sent me] in order that I might preach Him among the
Gentiles" (Galatians 1:15-16), now arranges, through the Church, for
this mission to begin.

Fasting and prayer are the best preparation for the spiritual
enterprise on which Paul and Barnabas are about to embark. "First,
prayer; then, atonement; in the third place, very much 'in the third
place', action" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 82). They know very
well that their mission is not man-made and that it will produce
results only with God's help. The prayer and penance which accompany
apostolate are not just aimed at obtaining graces from God for others:
the purpose of this prayer and fasting is to purify hearts and lips, so
that the Lord will be at their side and ensure that none of their words
"fall to the ground" (1 Samuel 3:19).

13:4-14:28. This first missionary journey took Paul, accompanied by
Barnabas, to Cyprus and central Galatia, in Asia Minor. He left
Antioch in the spring of 45 and returned almost four years later, after
preaching Christ to both Jews and Gentiles wherever he went.

St. Luke's account, which covers Chapters 13 and 14, is sketchy but
accurate. At Seleucia (the port of Antioch, about 35 kilometers or 22
miles from the city) they embarked for Cyprus, the largest island in
the eastern Mediterranean, where Barnabas came from. They disembarked
at Salamis, the island's main city and port. There they went to the
Jewish synagogues on a series of sabbaths.

In verse 6 it says that they crossed to the island to Paphos, which is
on the extreme west. This would have taken them several months
because, although it is only 150 kilometers as the crow flies, there
were many towns with Jewish communities, and since they had to stay in
each for a number of sabbaths their progress would have been slow. We
are told nothing about the result of this work of evangelizing en route
from Salamis to Paphos, but the indications are that it was fruitful,
because Barnabas will later go back to Cyprus, accompanied by Mark (cf.
15:39), to consolidate the work done on this first mission. New Paphos
was where the proconsul resided.

From there they went on board ship again and travelled north, probably
disembarking, after a short crossing, at Attalia. After a few miles
they reached Perga in Pamphylia, a barren, inhospitable region at the
base of the Taurus mountains, where Mark took leave of his companions.

Going from Perga to Pisidian Antioch (verse 14) meant a difficult
journey of about 160 kilometers over mountain roads. This other
Antioch was 1,200 meters above sea level and would have had a sizeable
Jewish community, connected with the trade in hides. The busy
commercial life of the region helped the spread of the Christian
message (verse 49). Paul addressed his preaching to the Gentiles
because of the hospitality of many Jews.

The Apostles were expelled and they headed for Iconium, about 130
kilometers south east, where they stayed some months and then left
because of disturbances created by both Gentiles and Jews: they had to
flee to the region of Lycaonia, to two minor cities, Lystra and Derbe.
There were very few Jews in Lystra, and no synagogue, and therefore
Paul preached to the local people, in the open air; but some Jews, who
had arrived from Antioch and Iconium, stoned him and left him for dead.
Possibly with the help of Timothy (cf. 16:1) they managed to reach
Derbe, where they made many disciples, and then set out on the journey
home, retracing their steps through Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian
Antioch. Things had quieted down, the local magistrates were new, and
with a little prudence everything worked out quite well. The new
disciples were confirmed in the faith, and priest, elders, were
appointed to each local church. Paul and Barnabas then went back to
Pamphylia and Attalia, where they took ship for Antioch, arriving
probably well into the year 49.

5. In each city he visits, Paul usually begins his preaching of the
Gospel in the local synagogue. This is not simply a tactic: it is in
line with what he knows is God's plan for salvation. Like Jesus, he
feels obliged to proclaim the Kingdom first to "Israelites [for] to
them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the
Law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and
of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ" (Romans 9:4-5).
The Jews have a right to be the first to have the Gospel preached to
them, for they were the first to receive the divine promises (cf.
13:46).

Although many Jews choose not to listen to or understand the Word of
God, there are many who do accept the Gospel for what it is--the
fullness of the Old Testament. All over the Diaspora thousands of men
and women like Simeon and Anna, who were awaiting the Kingdom and
serving the God of their forefathers with fasting and prayer (cf. Luke
2:25, 367), will receive the light of the Holy Spirit enabling them to
recognize and accept Paul's preaching as coming from God.

It is true that the many Jewish communities established in the main
cities of the Roman empire often hindered the spread of the Gospel; yet
their very existence played a providential part in its progress.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: John 12:44-50

The Unbelief of the Jews

[44] And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not
in Me, but in Him who sent Me. [45] And he who sees Me sees Him who
sent Me. [46] I have come as light into the world, that whoever
believes in Me may not remain in darkness. [47] If any one hears My
sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come
to judge the world but to save the world. [48] He who rejects Me and
does not receive My sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken
will be His judge on the last day. [49] For I have not spoken on My
own authority; the Father who sent Me has Himself given Me commandment
what to say and what to speak. [50] And I know that His commandment is
eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden
Me."

Commentary:

44-50. With these verses St. John brings to an end his account of our
Lord's public ministry. He brings together certain fundamental themes
developed in previous chapters--the need for faith in Christ (verse
44); the Father and the Son are one yet distinct (cf. 45); Jesus is
Light and Life of the world (verses 46, 50); men will be judged in
accordance with whether they accept or reject the Son of God (verses
47-49). The chapters which follow contain Jesus' teaching to His
Apostles at the Last Supper, and the accounts of the Passion and
Resurrection.

45. Christ, the Word Incarnate, is one with the Father (cf. John
10:30); "He reflects the glory of God" (Hebrews 1:3); "He is the image
of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15). In John 14:9 Jesus expresses
Himself in almost the same words: "He who has seen Me has seen the
Father". At the same time as He speaks of His oneness with the Father,
we are clearly shown the distinction of persons--the Father who sends,
and the Son who is sent.

In Christ's holy human nature His divinity is, as it were, hidden, that
divinity which He possesses with the Father in the unity of the Holy
Spirit (cf. John 14:7-11). In theology "circumincession" is the word
usually used for the fact that, by virtue of the unity among the three
Persons of the Blessed Trinity, "the Father is wholly in the Son and
wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Son wholly in the Father and wholly in
the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit wholly in the Father and wholly in the
Son" (Council of Florence, "Decree Pro Jacobitis, Dz-Sch", 1331).

47. Christ has come to save the world by offering Himself in sacrifice
for our sins and bringing us supernatural life (cf. John 3:17). But He
has also been made Judge of the living and the dead (cf. Acts 10:42):
He passes sentence at the Particular Judgment which happens immediately
after death, and at the end of the world, at His Second Coming or
Parousia, at the universal judgment (cf. John 5:22; 8:15-16).