| Tuesday, April 29, 2003 St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor of the Church (Memorial) |
||
|
The following is, as usual, from The Word Among Us:
The daily readings are:
First Reading ACTS 4:32-37
The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the Apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need. Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas (which is translated "son of encouragement"), a Levite, a Cypriot by birth, sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. or R. Alleluia. The Lord is king, in splendor robed; robed is the Lord and girt about with strength. R. And he has made the world firm, not to be moved. Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O Lord. R. Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed: holiness befits your house, O Lord, for length of days. R.
Gospel JOHN 3:7b-15
Jesus said to Nicodemus: "'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How can this happen?" Jesus answered and said to him, "You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
----------
The nickname "Barnabas" literally means "son of encouragement," or "encourager." Barnabas made a generous financial gift to the apostles for the sake of helping the poor members of the Christian community. Perhaps the apostles gave him his nickname because of his generosity. After all, people are encouraged by the example of someone who demonstrates great generosity and dependence on the Lord.
Barnabas was generous not only in material ways; he was also generous in the way he related to other people. He seemed always willing to accept those whom people shunned. For example, after Paul became a Christian, the believers in Jerusalem avoided him because of his reputation as an enemy and persecutor of the church. But Barnabas was able to persuade them to accept Paul as a genuine disciple (Acts 9:26-28).
Barnabas' generosity also showed itself in his ability to make allowances for human weakness. When Paul accused Mark, another missionary, of being unworthy of the job, Barnabas defended him. True, Mark had abandoned Barnabas and Paul in the middle of their first missionary journey. Taking the unpopular position, Barnabas tried to convince Paul to give him a second chance. (Acts 13:13; 15:36-41).
God wants us to take note of Barnabas' generous example and find ways we can become encouragers ourselves. Acts of generosity to the poor, or gestures of kindness to the lonely, or even the decision to give someone a second chance—all these are ways we can encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ.
There's nothing more inspiring than the witness of someone who is convinced that Jesus will sustain him in every situation. Such an example helps us believe that we too can take Jesus at his word. We don't have to be accomplished speakers to encourage other people. We don't have to be always reminding them of their good qualities to inspire them. We just need to live a life of trust and surrender to Jesus, as Barnabas did. Then our lives will become sources of hope and encouragement for everyone we meet.
"Thank you, Lord, for your encouragement. By your Spirit, help us to fix our eyes on heaven and to look forward to the day when we will be with you and give you glory for all the good you accomplished through simple souls as ourselves."
----------
God bless.
AC
