Bold as Barnabas

The text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary tells of the response of the people of Antioch to the attention of those Nazarenes and followers of the Way who like Barnabas came to that great Greek colony to evangelize with the Good News of Jesus. The psalmist expresses the nature of thanksgiving which we celebrate when the victory of the Lord is made known to the nations. In Antioch, the believers became known as Christians. The commissioning of Paul and Barnabas by the Holy Spirit to travel and continue the mission is described in the passage from Acts. Friar Jude Winkler comments that though it is not an ordination as we celebrate liturgically today, the elements of laying on hands to invoke the Holy Spirit speaks to the role of the believer to be personally involved in the work of God. The US lectionary today continues to follow the Gospel of Matthew with the continuation of the Sermon on the Mount from yesterday. The Canadian Lectionary uses the next section of the Gospel of Matthew to declare the instructions of Jesus to his disciples as they go to spread the Good News. The action which He commissions for them includes curing, casting out demons, cleansing lepers and raising the dead. These signs are to be performed in simple poverty where the missionary is obviously dependent on the grace of God and the Holy Spirit to do the work. Our mission is to continue to rely on God to provide the circumstance and Spirit for our “yes” to move in accord with His will.