June 11th - St. Barnabas, Apostle
Hildi
Born in Cyprus and died in Salamis in the 1st century. The Acts of the Apostles
describes Barnabas as 'a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith' (Acts
6:24). His Jewish parents called him Joseph, but when he sold all his goods and
gave the money to the apostles in Jerusalem, they gave him a new name: Barnabas,
which means 'son of consolation' or 'man of encouragement.' Although Barnabas
was not among the original Twelve, he is traditionally thought to have been
among the 72 commissioned by Jesus to preach; thus, he is given the honorary
title of Apostle and his name is included in the canon of the Mass.
Barnabas the Levite lived with the earliest Christians in Jerusalem. He was one
of the first to welcome Saint Paul, the former persecutor of the early Church,
and his former schoolmate. He persuaded the Christians of Jerusalem to accept
Paul's claim that he was now a believer in Jesus (Acts 9:26-30). Barnabas was
sent to Antioch, Syria, to investigate the community of non-Jewish believers
there (Acts 11:22ff), and brought Paul there from Tarsus. It was in Antioch that
the followers of The Way were first called Christians. With Paul he took the
Antiochean donation to Jerusalem community during a famine.
Thereafter he, his cousin John Mark, and Paul returned to Antioch before setting
out together on the first missionary journey of the Christian church (Acts
13:2ff). They went first to Cyprus, Barnabas's native land, and for this reason
Barnabas is honored as the founder of the Cypriot church. Then they continued on
to Perga (whence John Mark returned to Jerusalem), Antioch in Pisidia (where
they were so violently opposed by the Jews that they decided to preach to the
pagans), and Iconium (where they were stoned). At Lystra in Lycaonia, they were
thought to be gods because of the miracles they worked and the physical beauty
of Barnabas. After being taken as pagan gods, they were stoned out of the city,
and fled back to Antioch in Syria. When a dispute arose regarding the observance
of the Jewish laws and customs, Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem for the
council that decided that non-Jews would not have to be circumcised to be
baptized.
When they returned to Antioch, Barnabas wanted Paul and John Mark to continue
their travels with him, but Paul fell out with John Mark-perhaps because John
Mark had abandoned them at Perga. In spite of Paul's extremely forceful
character, Barnabas took Mark's side, demonstrating that he was a man of
considerable determination and courage. The Acts of the Apostles says, "There
arose a sharp contention between them. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed
away to Cyprus" (Acts 15:39). Paul chose a new ally, Silas, and went elsewhere
to strengthen the churches. Little more is heard of Barnabas though it is
believed that the rift with Paul was healed because we read about Barnabas later
in 1 Corinthians 9:6). (Paul also discusses his relationship to Barnabas in his
letter to the Galatians.)
Tradition says that Barnabas preached in Alexandria and Rome, and was stoned to
death at Salamis about 61 AD. He is considered the founder of the Cypriot
Church. The Order of Barnabites, founded by Saint Antony Zaccaria in Milan in
1530, took their name from their principal church named for today's saint, who
was once believed to have been the first bishop of Milan. The apocryphal Epistle
of Barnabas was long attributed to him, but modern scholarship now attributes it
to an Alexandrian Christian between 70 and 100 AD. The Gospel of Barnabas was
probably authored by an Italian Christian who became an Islamic. The Acts of
Barnabas, once attributed to John Mark, are now known to have been written in
the 5th century (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Farmer, Walsh,
White).
In art, Saint Barnabas is a bearded, middle-aged, tall and handsome man with a
book and an olive branch. He might also be shown (1) holding Saint Matthew's
Gospel; (2) in scenes with Saint Paul; (3) martyred by burning; (4) with stones
(Roeder), or (5) holding a pilgrim's staff (White). Barnabas is especially
venerated in Florence, Italy, and Cyprus. He is invoked against hailstorms and
as a peacemaker (Roeder). Barnabas is the patron of Cyprus (White).
This Version taken from:
http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm
Quote:
"In the Scriptures our people are shown to be made one; so that just as many
grains collected into one and ground and mingled together, make one loaf, so in
Christ, who is the heavenly Bread, we know that there is one body, in which our
whole company is joined and united."
-St. Hilary in the fourth century
Bible Quote
For as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same
office: So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of
another. (Rom. 12:4-5)
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Prayer of Solace
May Christ support us all the day long,
till the shadows lengthen,
and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
and the fever of life is over
and our work is done.
Then in his mercy
may he give us a safe lodging,
and holy rest and peace at the last.
Amen.
(attributed to John Cardinal Newman)