Posted on 06/10/2020 10:12:08 PM PDT by Salvation
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.
R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Barnabas, please go here.
-- Archbishop Fulton Sheen
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The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, |
Daily Marriage Tip for June 11, 2020:
Be intentional about giving your spouse your undivided attention when you see each other after your daily duties. Set aside time to sit together and talk about the highs and lows of your days.
You would expect anyone known as the “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36) to spend his time exhorting people to remain firm in their commitment to the Lord. The leaders of the Jerusalem church expected this from Barnabas. That’s why they sent him to strengthen the new converts in a young church which faced possible persecution (Acts 11:19).
Encouragement, for Barnabas, was not just doing the expected: a few kind words and “being there” for others. Encouragement also meant finishing the job: personally doing whatever it took to make sure that each person became a solid, life-long disciple of Jesus. Barnabas knew that the best way to give his new converts fresh and continuing courage was to feed them God’s Word. Accordingly, Barnabas made sure those he was encouraging would receive God’s Word by personally travelling to Tarsus, tracking down Paul, and bringing him back to Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). Together, they “instructed great numbers” “for a whole year,” probably by means of daily Scripture teaching (Acts 11:26). By the time Barnabas completed his “encouragement,” the new converts were now called “Christians” and “disciples” (Acts 11:26), meaning those who have absolutely committed themselves to follow Jesus.
Be sons and daughters of encouragement. “Encourage one another” (Heb 10:25) and finish the job.
Prayer: Father, Source of all encouragement (Rm 15:5), teach me “how to rouse” and encourage Your people (Heb 10:24-25).
Promise: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, heal the leprous, expel demons. The gift you have received, give as a gift.” —Mt 10:8
Praise: St. Barnabas encouraged Antioch to accept St. Paul, and St. Paul to accept his nephew, John Mark.
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