SAINT BARNABAS, APOSTLE (MEMORIAL)

Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees . . . 

Think about your favorite athletes.   They were probably young when they first played their sport, and they weren’t always great.   But gradually they got better, and their commitment grew.   They played in more competitive leagues, and the game became their life’s passion.

Our journey toward Jesus develops in much the same way.   Perhaps our knowledge of Jesus is basic at first, and we think of faith as only a set of practices.   For some people, it never becomes more than that—like the kids who start a sport but don’t progress very far.

But Jesus wants our faith to mature and surpass the faith we once knew (Matthew 5:20).   He wants us to think like a dedicated athlete and develop regular habits like prayer, Scripture reading, and Mass attendance.   He wants our faith to become second nature to us, just as an athlete eats, drinks, and lives his sport.

What an appropriate passage for today’s feast of St. Barnabas!   According to the Church Fathers, Barnabas was one of the seventy disciples Jesus sent out to proclaim the kingdom (Luke 10:1).   So by the time we first meet him in the Scriptures, he is already a seasoned disciple.   He has sold some of his land and donated the proceeds to the struggling Church (Acts 4:37).

As impressive as that act of generosity was, Barnabas kept training and developing his faith.   He became a leader in the church in Antioch.   He took St. Paul under his wing.   And together with his cousin John Mark and Paul, he launched one of the Church’s first missionary journeys.   He persevered in his mission after enduring a painful falling-out with Paul.   In the end, Barnabas died a martyr’s death, faithful to the end.

Barnabas shows us that Jesus never stops coaching; he never stops helping us grow and deepen our faith.   And just as a coach knows his athletes will not always win, Jesus knows that we will sometimes fall short.   But we need to be like the athlete who doesn’t give up—like Barnabas.   Our efforts will pay off.   And when they do, all of heaven will celebrate!

“Jesus, thank you for giving me such a high calling—and for giving me the grace to accomplish it!”

Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3
Psalm 98:1-6