Barnabas

This week we celebrated the Feast Day of St. Barnabas.  

As such, I took a little bit of time to reflect on what a important player Barnabas was in our Faith.

Surprisingly, it is not clear when Barnabas converted.  Some think he was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified, and one of the 70 Disciples.  Others believe he was converted sometime after Pentecost.   He first appears to us in Acts, where he sells his land and gives the proceeds to the community.  

What is very clear, however, is the courage and conviction he had.  For example, he stood as sponsor for Paul after his conversion.   This was no small task, considering that the Apostles must have been terrified of Saul, the man that passionately persecuted them.  We all know what Paul and Barnabas went on to do for Christianity, but the brave task of believing in the converted Saul often gets overlooked.  

Barnabas also had the courage, and forgiveness, to give John Mark a second chance.  John Mark had left Paul and Barnabas during one of their journeys, and such actions must have upset Paul.  But Barnabas was open to giving John Mark a reprieve - despite it leading to he and Paul going their separate ways.  (Later, Paul spoke highly of John Mark, the man who is believed to have written one of our four Gospels.)

Of course, both of these acts are overshadowed by the courage Barnabas showed by preaching the Word in hostile and foreign environments.  

Barnabas is believed to be martyred while preaching the Gospel, but remains a shining example for all Christians. 

God Bless you.

Not Exactly a Walk in the Park

Today's first reading starts off simply enough:

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia.

But what gets lost in that brief sentence is what that journey entailed.  Assuming they travelled by land, it would include:

• More than 100 miles of walking.  At a pace of less than 20 miles per day.  
• Rugged terrain - with steep roads (over 12,000 feet at its highpoint), deadly flash floods and rapidly changing weather.  
• Robbers, robbers, and more robbers.  Even the Roman soldiers did not travel on this route without a garrison.  In fact, depending on what exact route they took, its quite possible they traversed the most dangerous road in the Roman Empire.  

Oh and this was most likely after the little episode where Paul was lashed 39 times, shipwrecked, and fell deathly ill.

It is remarkable what Paul, Barnabas, and other disciples did so that we could learn the faith, isn't it?

God Bless. 

The Conversion of St. Paul

I've written a few posts on St. Paul, and now I have a good reason to add one more.

This past weekend, Catholics celebrated the conversion of this great Apostle. It is the only "conversion" the church officially celebrates.

In fact, Pope Benedict issued an extraordinary decree, allowing parishes to use the prayers and readings of this feast day instead of the normal readings from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

What does that mean?

Well, for me, it means I got to hear one of my favorite Gospel passages (Acts 9:1-22). That passage tells us how Paul became a follower of Jesus.

I am in awe every time I hear it. Not only because of its importance in our history, but because of the lesson found within.

Paul was one of the most outspoken opponents of early Christianity, persecuting early followers of Jesus. Luke even tells us he approved and watched Steven's stoning.

And yet, God forgave him. (Not only forgave, but gave him a pretty important job to do!)

So this weekend I was reminded not only of Paul's great works, but that God will always forgive us, no matter how bad our sins are.

All we have to do is ask.

God Bless.