St. Barnabas, Apostle

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

Today we celebrate an important figure of the Apostolic Era, St. Barnabas. The Acts of the Apostles, in which he appears frequently, identifies him in chapter four: 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 (Acts 4:36-37). There are many traditions about this man, but most of them cannot be verified as historical fact. For instance, tradition tells us that he, like most of the disciples of Jesus, was martyred. However, there is no hard evidence to the fact. Tradition also ascribes the Letter to the Hebrews to him, as well as a Gospel and an Epistle. However, there is no to back up these claims.

What we can say of him is that he was a companion missionary of St. Paul's and the man who is directly responsible for the foundation of the Church of Antioch where the term "Christian" was first used to identify a person who has placed their faith in Jesus. He was set aside by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel to the God-fearing Gentiles and, with Paul, fought off the efforts of the Christians who insisted on the circumcision of Gentile Christians. He attended the Jerusalem Council recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

The Church celebrates him as an apostle though not one of the Twelve. The designation "apostle" means "one who is sent." Barnabas was sent to many of the communities of Asia Minor to encourage the fledgling Christian communities. He is also the individual who first brought Saul of Tarsus, St. Paul, to the attention of the Twelve. He was obviously one of the first to put his trust in St. Paul. For this alone, he is regarded as one of the most important of the early Christians.

O God, who decreed that Saint Barnabas, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, should be set apart to convert the nations, grant that the Gospel of Christ, which he strenuously preached, may be faithfully proclaimed by word and by deed. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.