Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Barnabas, Holy Apostle of the Lord, one of the close collaborators and followers of the Lord, whose commitment and dedication to the Lord is truly exemplary and should be great examples and inspiration for all of us to follow in how we ourselves obey the Lord and follow His path in our own respective lives. Each and every one of us should always do our best and commit ourselves to the missions and the works which the Lord has entrusted to each one of us as His followers and disciples, so that all of us may indeed be active contributors to the efforts and works of the Church in our world today.

According to Church and Apostolic traditions, St. Barnabas was a Jew from Cyprus that was an important member of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem, who followed the Lord and dedicated himself thoroughly in the service of the Lord. It was told that he sold his lands and property, giving its proceeds to the community of the believers, and henceforth went on to dedicate his life fully to God. St. Barnabas was one of St. Paul’s close collaborators, and went on several missionary journeys with the latter, proclaiming the Word of God and His Good News to many people in various cities and places, enjoying both great successes as well as hardships and challenges in the midst of his mission and work.

St. Barnabas was mentioned in a few occasions throughout the Acts of the Apostles, detailing his many works both together with St. Paul as well as on his own, as he continued to carry on his missions entrusted to him by the Lord through His Church, reaching out to more and more people and proclaiming to them the salvation of God. Many people came to believe in the Lord through the words and the works of St. Barnabas and his other companions, through their dedication and zeal in proclaiming the Good News and the salvation in God. The Lord has sent them all to be the bearers of His truth, and they all devoted themselves faithfully to those missions that had been entrusted to them.

Not much was known of the life of St. Barnabas after his mentions in the Acts of the Apostles, but like that of the other Apostles, and through several indications in the other Apostolic writings and traditions, it was likely that St. Barnabas endured great sufferings and eventually martyrdom like most of the other disciples and Apostles of the Lord at that time. In one of those traditions, St. Barnabas was martyred as he ministered to the faithful and to the people in the region of Cyprus, where he hailed from, and he was persecuted and struck by the opposition of the local Jewish community, some of whom were opposed to him and were hostile to his works and efforts in proclaiming the Christian faith. Nonetheless, through his courage and efforts, St. Barnabas inspired many in faith during his time and even long afterwards.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account from the Acts of the Apostles detailing all the various activities and works which St. Barnabas had done in the missionary journeys he had taken, to Antioch and then to Tarsus, and it was also at this occasion that St. Barnabas took St. Paul with him, then still known as Saul, to join him in the evangelising and missionary works. That was how then St. Barnabas and St. Paul were both entrusted with the important mission of proclaiming the Good News and truth of God to the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles. Both of them were sent with the mission to proclaim the Lord and His Good News to those people, and they were given the mission with the guidance and prayer of the Apostles, with the Holy Spirit leading them in their path and journey.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which He sent out His disciples and followers on missions, both to prepare His path and also to spread His works and missions to more places, by sending them two by two to proclaim the Good News of God to more and more people. He entrusted them all with the responsibilities to proclaim His salvation to everyone who were willing to listen to them so that more and more people will come to believe in God and be saved through their faith and trust in Him. St. Barnabas had done what the Lord had entrusted to him to do, as well as those of the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all also be reminded then of our own calling and mission in life, to be the faithful and committed disciples of the Lord in our own various fields and areas of commitment in life. Like St. Barnabas and his companion, St. Paul, they had been entrusted with the particular mission of reaching out to the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles because of their affinity to those who did not adhere to the Jewish customs and practices, and also their open-mindedness and willingness to reach out to those who had diverse backgrounds, unlike many among the Jewish community at that time.

Each and every one of us have also been called to various missions and works in our respective lives. We have been given diverse opportunities and areas in life where we can contribute more to the spreading of the Good News of God, and where we can be the good role models and inspirations in life in whatever we have been called to be, be it as an ordained minister like bishops and priests, or as those in the religious and consecrated life, or those who have dedicated themselves in a holy life, of singlehood and all those who have built good and loving Christian families, filled with love and grace of God, with their children and all.

All of us should do our best in our various missions and callings in life to commit ourselves to all that God had entrusted to us, in all the opportunities and blessings that He had granted to us. Each and every one of us have been truly blessed that God has entrusted these missions to us, and we should strive to make good use of these opportunities so that through our works and efforts, God may truly be glorified and He may indeed lead more and more souls to salvation and eternal life through our contributions and efforts, just as what St. Barnabas had done in his life and missions.

May the Lord be with all of us in each and every moments of our lives, and may He continue to guide and strengthen us with the necessary resolve and encouragement so that we may continue to persevere in faith despite the challenges and trials we may have to face in our journey in life as Christians. Like St. Barnabas, Holy Apostle, missionary and martyr, let us always be courageous in proclaiming the Lord, His truth, Good News and love to everyone we encounter each day and every moments in our lives, now and always. Amen.