Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 6-11-03, Memorial, St. Barnabas, Apostle

Reading I
Acts 11:21b-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.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

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.

Gospel
Mt 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Barnabas was born in Cyprus and is numbered among the first of
the faithful in Jerusalem. St. Barnabas was instrumental in mediating
a variety of problems in the early Church. Barnabas is certainly
important in St. Paul's relationship with the apostles. It is Barnabas
who introduced Paul to the apostles and tried to soothe suspicion
directed at Paul.

Through the strength of his faith, St. Barnabas was favored with an
extraordinary gift of miracles, and prepared him for the merits of
being an apostle. By the daily persecutions and dangers to which he
exposed himself for the faith, his whole life was a continual
martyrdom.

Barnabas served as a missionary by preaching the Gospel at
Antioch and by accompanying St. Paul on his first journey. Barnabas
was present at the Council of Jerusalem, which said of him and St.
Paul that they had given their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. When Barnabas finished his missionary work he returned to
his home to Cyprus and spread the Gospel there until he was
martyred. St. Barnabas is the patron saint of Cyprus.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The hand of the Lord was with them and 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 hear,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. And a
large number of people were 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. -Acts 11:21-26

TODAY'S TIDBIT

The Angelus
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary ...

Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh:
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray through St. Barnabas for peace in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Middle East.

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Meditation
Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3

St. Barnabas

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be remembered for our goodness, faith, and Spirit-filled living? That is how Luke memorializes St. Bar-nabas (Acts 11:24). This Levite from Cyprus was named Joseph at birth, but after becoming a member of the church in Jerusalem, he was given the name Barnabas, meaning “son of encouragement” or “son of consolation” (paraklesis in Greek). It seems that throughout his life, Barnabas embodied a radical generosity that was focused on looking after the welfare of the church.

Just as the Holy Spirit (the “Comforter,” or Parakletos in Greek) encouraged and consoled the early church, so too did Barnabas commit himself to living out that encouragement in his daily life. When we first meet him, he is generously giving the apostles the proceeds from a lucrative real estate deal (Acts 4:36-37). Later, as an apostle, Barnabas obediently acts upon the Lord’s word by encouraging the early Christians to remain faithful to the Lord (11:23).

Barnabas’ gift of encouragement didn’t just lead him to be generous; it led him to take risks as well. He was one of the few who could recognize the grace of conversion in one of the church’s most powerful enemies: Saul of Tarsus. Barnabas presented Saul to the skeptical apostles in Jerusalem and witnessed to the authenticity of the work of God in his life (Acts 9:27). Later, he called upon Saul to help him lead the church in Antioch. From there, both men were commissioned to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Together, Barnabas and Saul (who was later called Paul) successfully defended the Antioch church from the “Judai-zers” who wanted to subject the gentile Christians to the observance of Jewish customs and laws.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us the same humility and love for God that Barnabas had. By the Holy Spirit and through our lives of prayer, let us imitate the works that St. Barnabas and St. Paul performed as they spread the gospel and encouraged believers wherever they went.

“Lord, fill me with a charity that is not limited to love-inspired words of encouragement. Rather, let my actions start a chain reaction of generosity that reaches many people and goes on for centuries after I’m gone.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Wednesday, June 11, 2003 >>

St. Barnabas

Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3

Psalm 98

Matthew 10:7-13

View Readings

GOD WORKING THROUGH YOU

“The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number of them believed and were converted to the Lord. News of this eventually reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, resulting in Barnabas’ being sent to Antioch.” —Acts 11:21-22

Some of you are like Barnabas. You have sold your property and given the proceeds to the Church (Acts 4:36-37). Because of the Lord working through you, the lives of thousands of people are being transformed. Thank God for you!

Some of you are like Barnabas. You are “filled with the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24). You are encouraging other Christians “to remain firm in their commitment to the Lord” (Acts 11:23). Because of the Lord working through you, “large numbers” are “added to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). Thank God for you!

Some of you are like Barnabas. You are fasting and praying and willing to go wherever the Holy Spirit sends you (Acts 13:2). Through your obedience, the Lord is delivering many people “from the power of darkness” and transferring them to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col 1:13). Thank God for you!

What would the world be like without the Lord working through people who are like Barnabas? Through you, the Lord can do more than we can ever ask for or imagine (see Eph 3:20). Through people like Barnabas, the Lord does even greater works than Jesus did (Jn 14:12). Thank God for Barnabas and for you! Be like Barnabas.

Prayer: Father, may I live the life of good works for which You have created me (see Eph 2:10).

Promise: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, heal the leprous, expel demons.” —Mt 10:8

Praise: St. Barnabas discipled his cousin Mark so successfully (see Acts 15:39) that Mark later wrote a gospel which has led countless people to faith in Jesus.

Catholic Online Saints

St. Barnabas
d. 61
Feastday: June 11

All we know of Barnabas is to be found in the New Testament. A Jew, born in Cyprus and named Joseph, he sold his property, gave the proceeds to the Apostles, who gave him the name Barnabas, and lived in common with the earliest converts to Christianity in Jerusalem.

He persuaded the community there to accept Paul as a disciple, was sent to Antioch, Syria, to look into the community there, and brought Paul there from Tarsus. With Paul he brought Antioch's donation to the Jerusalem community during a famine, and returned to Antioch with John Mark, his cousin. The three went on a missionary journey to Cyprus, Perga (when John Mark went to Jerusalem), and Antioch in Pisidia, where they were so violently opposed by the Jews that they decided to preach to the pagans.

Then they went on to Iconium and Lystra in Lycaonia, where they were first acclaimed gods and then stoned out of the city, and then returned to Antioch in Syria. When a dispute arose regarding the observance of the Jewish rites, Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem, where, at a council, it was decided that pagans did not have to be circumcised to be baptized.

On their return to Antioch, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on another visitation to the cities where they had preached, but Paul objected because of John Mark's desertion of them in Perga. Paul and Barnabas parted, and Barnabas returned to Cyprus with Mark; nothing further is heard of him, though it is believed his rift with Paul was ultimately healed.

Tradition has Barnabas preaching in Alexandria and Rome, the founder of the Cypriote Church, the Bishop of Milan (which he was not), and has him stoned to death at Salamis about the year 61. The apochryphal Epistle of Barnabas was long attributed to him, but modern scholarship now attributes it to a Christian in Alexandria between the years 70 and 100; the Gospel of Barnabas is probably by an Italian Christian who became a Mohammedan; and the Acts of Barnabas once attributed to John Mark are now known to have been written in the fifth century.

His feast day is June 11.

From: Acts 11:19-26; 13:1-3

The Beginning of the Church in Antioch (Continuation)

[21] A great number that believed turned to the Lord. [22] News of this
came to the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to
Antioch. [23] When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he
exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose;
[24] for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a
large company was added to the Lord. [25] So Barnabas went to Tarsus to
look for Saul; [26] and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church, and taught a large company of
people and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians.

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.

Commentary:

19-30. This account links up with Acts 8:1-4, which describes the
flight of Christians from Jerusalem due to the first persecution
following on the martyrdom of St. Stephen. We are now told about the
spread of the Gospel to Antioch on the Orontes, the capital of the
Roman province of Syria. Antioch was the first major city of the
ancient world where the word of Jesus Christ was preached. It was the
third city of the empire, after Rome and Alexandria, with a population
of about half a million and a sizeable Jewish colony, and was a very
important cultural, economic and religious center.

In Antioch the Gospel is proclaimed not only to Jews and proselytes.
These Hellenist Jews from Jerusalem preached the Gospel to all and
sundry as part of their ordinary everyday activity. St. Luke does not
give us any names: the preachers are ordinary Christians. "Notice",
says Chrysostom, "that it is grace which does everything. And also
reflect on the fact that this work is begun by unknown workers and only
when it begins to prosper do the Apostles send Barnabas" ("Hom. on
Acts", 25).

The Christian mission at Antioch played a key part in the spread of
Christianity. Evangelization of non-Jews becomes the norm; it is not
just something which happens in a few isolated cases. Nor is it
limited to "God-fearers"; it extends to all the Gentiles. The center
of gravity of the Christian Church begins to move from Jerusalem to
Antioch, which will become the springboard for the evangelization of
the pagan world.

22-26. The community at Jerusalem, where the Apostles were based, felt
responsible for everything that happened in the Christian mission-field.
This was why they sent Barnabas to oversee developments in Antioch.
Barnabas was a man whom the Apostles trusted, noted for his virtue (he was
mentioned in Acts 4:36).

No doubt it was because of all the work opening before the preacher of
the Gospel that Barnabas sought out Paul, who had returned to Tarsus
after his conversion and his visit to Jerusalem (9:30). Barnabas
probably knew that the future Apostle was the very man he needed to
join him in the work of evangelization about to be undertaken by the
Antiochene Church. Barnabas' sense of responsibility and his zeal to
find laborers for the Lord's harvest (cf. Matthew 9:38) lead to the
first of the great missionary journeys, in which Paul's vocation find
full scope.

26. We do not exactly know who first began to describe the disciples as
"Christians". In any event the fact that they were given a name
shows that everyone recognized them as an identifiable group. The name
also suggests that the term "Christos"--Messiah, Anointed--is no longer
regarded simply as a messianic title but also as a proper name.

Some Fathers of the Church see this name as further indication that
people do not become disciples of the Lord through human causes.
"Although the holy Apostles were our teachers and have given us the
Gospel of the Savior, it is not from them that we have taken our name:
we are "Christians" through Christ and it is for Him that we are called
in this way" (St. Athanasius, "Oratio I Contra Arianos", 2).

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).

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: Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [17] "Think not that I have come to
abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but
to fulfill them. [18] For truly I say to you, till Heaven and earth
pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is
accomplished. [19] Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these
commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom
of Heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great
in the Kingdom of Heaven."

Commentary:

17-19. In this passage Jesus stresses the perennial value of the Old
Testament. It is the word of God; because it has a divine authority it
deserves total respect. The Old Law enjoined precepts of a moral,
legal and liturgical type. Its moral precepts still hold good in the
New Testament because they are for the most part specific
divine-positive promulgations of the natural law. However, our Lord
gives them greater weight and meaning. But the legal and liturgical
precepts of the Old Law were laid down by God for a specific stage in
salvation history, that is, up to the coming of Christ; Christians are
not obliged to observe them (cf. "Summa Theologiae", I-II, q. 108, a. 3
ad 3).

The law promulgated through Moses and explained by the prophets was
God's gift to His people, a kind of anticipation of the definitive Law
which the Christ or Messiah would lay down. Thus, as the Council of
Trent defined, Jesus not only "was given to men as a redeemer in whom
they are to trust, but also as a lawgiver whom they are to obey" ("De
Iustificatione", can. 21).

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