The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle, challenge us to be open, in a world of abundance, to sharing the Good News, in fellowship with all the people encountered in our vineyard.
In the Reading from the Acts of the Apostles the Church at Antioch is recognized as “Christian”.
* [11:19–26] The Jewish Christian antipathy to the mixed community was reflected by the early missionaries generally. The few among them who entertained a different view succeeded in introducing Gentiles into the community at Antioch (in Syria). When the disconcerted Jerusalem community sent Barnabas to investigate, he was so favorably impressed by what he observed that he persuaded his friend Saul to participate in the Antioch mission.
* [11:26] Christians: “Christians” is first applied to the members of the community at Antioch because the Gentile members of the community enable it to stand out clearly from Judaism.(Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
* [13:1–3] The impulse for the first missionary effort in Asia Minor is ascribed to the prophets of the Antiochene community, under the inspiration of the holy Spirit. Just as the Jerusalem community had earlier been the center of missionary activity, so too Antioch becomes the center from which the missionaries Barnabas and Saul are sent out. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 98 extolls God for Israel’s victory.
* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9). (Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents The Commissioning of the Twelve.
* [10:8–11] The Twelve have received their own call and mission through God’s gift, and the benefits they confer are likewise to be given freely. They are not to take with them money, provisions, or unnecessary clothing; their lodging and food will be provided by those who receive them.
* [10:13] The greeting of peace is conceived of not merely as a salutation but as an effective word. If it finds no worthy recipient, it will return to the speaker. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
Michele Bogard comments Barnabas advocated for Paul post his conversion. His name means “son of encouragement” and he’s the patron Saint of Cyprus, Antioch, and peacekeeping missions. Forgive and forget. It’s an easy enough phrase but so difficult to live.
I have worked hard in my life to forgive - one relationship in particular. But forgetting? That is something entirely different. Trust broken is so hard to rebuild. I can’t say that those two concepts go hand in hand for me easily.
But isn’t that what Jesus is asking of us? Forgiving without holding grudges/forgetting isn’t really forgiving.
Today, if you pray the Examen, try to recount those relationships that you haven’t forgotten the wrongs. Let us take stock of the grudges we have and ask St. Barnabas’s intercession to encourage our hearts to truly heal so that we can be fully in communion with God. (Bogard, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Taming the Tongue,” by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
"What are we to do? Whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire. But no human being can tame the tongue. Will everyone therefore go to the hell of fire? By no means. Lord, you have become our refuge from generation to generation (Psalm 90:1). Your wrath is just. You send no one to hell unjustly. Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence (Psalm 139:7), unless to you? Thus let us understand, my dearly beloved, that if no human being can tame the tongue, we must take refuge in God, who will tame it. Does your own human nature prevent you from taming your tongue? No human being can tame the tongue (James 3:8). Consider this analogy from the animals that we tame. A horse does not tame itself; a camel does not tame itself; an elephant does not tame itself; a snake does not tame itself; a lion does not tame itself. So too a man does not tame himself. In order to tame a horse, an ox, a camel, an elephant, a lion and a snake, a human being is required. Therefore God should be required in order for a human being to be tamed. (excerpt from Sermon 55:2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3 comments that today the Church honors Barnabas, not just as a great hero of the faith, but also as a model for us to follow. We can all become like Barnabas because every one of us who has been baptized has received the same Holy Spirit that he did. Like Barnabas, each of us can invite the Spirit to take our natural gifts and fill them with his grace and power.
It’s good to remind yourself every now and then that you are “filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.” Whether you are working, studying, or parenting, he is with you to increase your patience and your faithfulness to your calling. When you are in the midst of a difficult conversation with someone, he is with you to help you choose your words wisely and to give you his compassion and peace. The Spirit is always ready to fill you and empower you to share your gifts with everyone around you.
“Lord, help me to remain open to your Spirit today.” (Meditation on Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that the passage from Acts 11 and Acts 13 speaks about Barnabas who was an evangelizer in Antioch. He and Saul, Hebrew Aramaic for Paul, go to Antioch where the “Christian” name is established among Gentile converts. Paul and Barnabas are set aside with laying on hands for missionary work. In the Sermon on the Mount, from the Gospel of Matthew, righteousness as understood by the Pharisee as following the Laws to the letter and therefore taken to the widest scrupulous interpretation is replaced by Jesus with the spirit to extend the Law to any form of hurting. We are called to reconcile before going to the altar. Friar Jude notes that the handshake of peace before the Eucharist is intended to become a sign of reconciliation for those participating in the Eucharist as brothers and sisters.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Cynthia Bourgeault who explores the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The bottom line is that everybody has enough. The ones that came in early thought the usual daily wage was fair. That’s taken care of. The real fruit being generated, just like grapes turn into wine, was the work together. In these circumstances, it’s fermented and transformed into some fragrance of human interactivity and abundance that doesn’t exist otherwise.
Reading this parable against the backdrop of a relational field rather than individual competition, entirely different elements jump out. Without that relational field, you simply can’t see where Jesus is going. Trying to understand it with your mind, you’ll never get it because your mind will keep coming back to “more and less” and “it’s not fair.” It’s not until you begin from the fullness of love, and the order and coherence that arise from it, that you can recognize what’s being said and how radical it is.
We get the invitation to go into the vineyard, but it’s only in stepping up, saying yes, and trusting the relational field that we’re going to actually be participants in the kingdom of God. (Rohr, n.d.)
We implore the Spirit to guide our pursuit of a relationship with Christ that avoids scrupulous attention to particular faults and rules and presents our extension of Love, Compassion, and Hope to all the people we encounter.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/11?
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/13
Bogard, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved June 11, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-11-2026
Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10
Meditation on Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 11, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/11/1589802/
Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Laborers in the Vineyard. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 11, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-laborers-in-the-vineyard/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Be Reconciled to Your Brother. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 11, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/
No comments:
Post a Comment