Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 11, 2019 - Tuesday in the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Cor 1:18-22 and Matt 5:13-16,984]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......Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. [Acts]
When I was a boy and attended the movies on Saturday to see the latest cowboy adventures, I remember that every star had a faithful sidekick who joined him in most of his adventures. In the case of Barnabas, the sidekick was more than that. He had the good sense to go looking for Saul (who became Paul) and recruited him to join in the preaching! The rest is history. That one decision to go looking for a good talent has made all the difference. It's hard to think of Paul as spending the rest of his life in Tarsus making tents! But Barnabas rescued him from that fate. I'm not forgetting that the Holy Spirit most likely had a wing in this.
Astute eyes may have noticed that Barnabas is considered to be an apostle, even though he was not a member of the Twelve. His close early association with the Jerusalem Church must have impressed the disciples there because they "sent" him to Antioch. That is the real meaning of the word "apostle" - one who is sent.
As famous as Paul and Barnabas are, the same Holy Spirit fills us all and sends us to encourage others to " remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart." Who knows? We may be the recruiter of a future famous preacher! AMEN