Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Acts 11:21-26, 13:1-3

In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.

Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger,
Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.

The Word of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Barnabas, whose birth name was Joseph. Barnabas receives his new name from the Apostles, which means son of encouragement, after proving himself to be a faithful and generous steward.

We first encounter Barnabas in the Acts of the Apostles after he sells a large field, laying the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles. 

But his greatest contribution comes later, when the Lord elects him to become the bridge builder between Saint Paul and the Apostles.

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Prior to his conversion, Paul was a leading persecutor of the Church. But after the Lord appeared to him in a flash of light on the road to Damascus, Paul had a dramatic conversion.

Although he was inwardly changed, Paul’s conversion could not wipe away his reputation amongst Christians; even the Apostles were fearful of him. He needed someone to vouch for his change of heart, lest he remain an outcast, the “black sheep” of the Church. 

Barnabas was the one who sought Paul out, bringing him to Antioch, where they meet with the local church and ministered there together for a year. It was in Antioch where the disciples were first called Christians.

Paul and Barnabas then traveled 1,400 miles together across Greece and Turkey as they risked their lives for the sake of the Gospel. This became the beginning of Paul’s ministry – a journey that eventually took him more than 10,000 miles on foot.

While Paul receives a lion’s share of the credit for spreading the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean, perhaps none of it would’ve been possible had Barnabas not opened the door, welcoming him into the company of the Apostles.

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Perhaps there’s a word in that for us. 

While there are some towering figures in the Church like popes, Saints, missionaries, and martyrs, any one of us can be like Barnabas.

We can all offer a word of encouragement; forgive a neighbor; provide an open door; or make some small contribution to the Church. Gestures which, when added up, move the mission of the Church forward from generation to generation. 

Saint Barnabas, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Life Palette (2) Barnabas and Paul, Dust off the Bible (3) Center for Church Renewal

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Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus divides Jews from Christians the same way he divides the bible in half. There’s the Old Testament and the New Testament with Christ as the hinge. Jews are still awaiting the Messiah, while Christians say Christ is the Messiah, God in the flesh.

At the very center of this debate is Christ’s identity, and by extension, his teachings.

As he says in today’s Gospel, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

So, what aspects of the Old Testament does the Lord fulfill and how?

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First, he fulfills the Law. As one scribe asks him in Mark’s Gospel, “Which is the greatest of all the Commandments?” 

Jesus responds, “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, body, and soul. And your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus fulfills these commandments by dying obediently on a cross, while asking his Father to forgive his executioners, “for they know not what they do.”

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Secondly, Jesus fulfills nearly three hundred prophecies from the Old Testament, some of which were beyond his control, including where the Messiah would be born; the miracles he would perform; how he would suffer; even how he would die.

As the prophet Isaiah foretells, “The eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened. The lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute sing for joy.”

The blind, the sick, and the dead who were raised all give testimony to him.

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Whereas some may see a separation between the Old and New Testaments, Christians see a unity – or better a fulfillment – with Christ as the hinge. 

In him, everything fits together. May we give him glory and praise today.

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Image credits: (1) Pantocrator, Sinai (2) Magnific (3) The Jordan Valley

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Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In today’s Gospel, we hear a continuation of Jesus first public sermon, containing the lion’s share of his ethical teachings. He began with the Beatitudes, calling the poor in spirit, the peacemakers, those who mourn, and the persecuted, “blessed.”

Now he continues by calling us, “the salt of the earth.” 

He does not say, “You might be salt.” Or, “Someday you will be salt when you have a little more faith.” No, we already are. 

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Consider the nature of salt.

Salt does not exist to preserve itself. If locked away in a cabinet, then it loses its value. As Jesus says, “It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

The value of salt is found in giving itself away; in being poured out; scattered; dissolved into something else. You might say, when it dies to itself.

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This is the greatest paradox in all of Christ’s teachings – it is only in dying to ourselves, or giving ourselves away, that we truly begin to live. 

If we Christians ever stopped caring for the poor, washing other people’s feet, shouting from our rooftops, forgiving those who hurt us, fighting against corruption, or living with pure hearts, then we’d lose our saltiness. 

And what good would we be then?

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How am I like the salt of the earth? How do I pour myself out for the good of others? And how do I preserve faith and goodness in my heart, in my home, and in the world around me?

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May the Lord season all of us with his grace, lest we be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

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Image credits: (1) Vegetarian Society (2) Greystone Baptist Church (3) The Light of Christ Journey