Isaiah 45:5-12/Acts 11:19-30/St Mark 6:7-13
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
He was not one of the Twelve. And he was gradually overshadowed by St Paul. But St Barnabas was an apostle, a sent one of the Lord Jesus. Indeed he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, as St Luke records of him. He was called by the Holy Spirit not only to discipleship, but to the apostolic ministry of the Gospel. He was ordained to that office by the laying on of hands with the Word of God and prayer. Thus he was sent by the crucified and risen Lord Jesus through His Church to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins in His Name and by His stead.
This is the way of the Lord; the way of the Cross. Everything Jesus does, His Apostles do as well, always depending on Him and delivering what He has accomplished by the atoning sacrifice of His Cross. For it is not by any character or quality within the man, but only by the Cross of our Lord Jesus, that men are freed from the possession of demons, anointed with the healing oil of His mercy and redeeming love.
This is true of St Barnabas. Indeed of all the apostles. Before they are sent they are called to follow Jesus, to learn from Him, as catechumens of His Word. They have nothing to give to others except what they themselves have heard and received from Him. Nor are they to rely on anyone else, but they receive His provision by grace within the household and family of His Church.
What is true of the apostles likewise applies to all servants of the Word, indeed to all Christians. For this is why are you are called Christian, one who not only follows after Christ in the way of His Cross, but one who is the prized possession of Him who is your Lord and Redeemer and has called you to Himself in love.
This is modeled for you in the Old Testament through the Levites, the priests, who owned no property within the boundaries of the Promised Land. They lived entirely off the generosity of the congregation of Israel and the provision of the Lord through both His people. The Word of the Lord and His Holy Name were their heritage. Not land or wealth, nor privilege, popularity, or prestige, but the Gospel was their Treasure.
So it was for St Barnabas, known among the disciples as “Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth.” Even before he was called and ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry, he sold his property and laid all of the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles for the care of the community of the Church. Such charity of faith exemplifies the reason for which the Apostles called him Barnabas, which means, “Son of Encouragement.”
Thus did he become a true Levite, indeed, in supporting the Royal High Priesthood of Christ in His Church and Ministry on earth. Not only of the Twelve in Jerusalem, but then also following St Paul in the blossoming mission of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Later, St Barnabas lent his support to St Mark, his cousin and evangelist, by whom we have received the Holy Gospel.
Again and again we find St Barnabas giving of himself in loving service to others; not seeking fame or glory for himself, but living in the grace of his Lord Jesus Christ, by faith in the Gospel. Thus is he a dutiful example to you and all the Church. Though you are not an apostle, and most of you will not become pastors and teachers of the Church, nevertheless, as a Christian you are called to live by faith in Christ and in love for your neighbors, especially for those who belong to the household and family of God.
This is what it means to be sent out without any bread or bag or money belt, but only with your staff in hand and sandals on your feet. This is the new and greater Exodus of Christ, the Son of God, who has crossed over from death to life by His Sacrifice for you and in His Resurrection. He is your true Passover, who is alone your Meat and Drink indeed. He is your Daily Bread, your Manna from heaven, which God the Father opens His gracious hand to provide you in the wilderness.
You are baptized into His Exodus, and now, it is by His Staff that you are guarded from all harm and danger, and that you are guided on the Way of Life. He has called you out of darkness into His marvelous Light. He has raised you from death and the grave to newness of life. He has turned you from your sins to Himself. He has given you His Spirit and called you in His Righteousness. He has taken you by the hand and will keep you. He has taken you from your idols and made you His own people to praise and thank, serve and obey Him - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - as His royal priesthood and holy nation.
For the Lord God who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, has given His Word into the hands of St Barnabas and through His Holy Office of the Gospel, hands over His Word to His Church. These are the new things He now declares: that from coast lands and islands, from Cypress to Cyrene, to Singapore and Sumatra, to Siberia and the Sudan, even to Indianapolis, He causes His Word to be preached, He pours out His Spirit, and He provides the Bread of Life for His people.
As surely as the Gospel went out from Jerusalem to the Greeks by the speaking of St Barnabas, and as surely as alms were then sent from the Gentile Christians in Antioch to the Church in Judea by the hand of that good man, so surely has the Lord opened His mouth to speak to you, and opened His hands to feed you in this place. He also opens your ears to hear and opens your mouth to feast upon the Passover of Christ in His true Body and Blood, so that you, together with St Barnabas and all the company of heaven, sing unto the Lord this New Song that He has taught you: The Song of God and of the Lamb forevermore.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
He was not one of the Twelve. And he was gradually overshadowed by St Paul. But St Barnabas was an apostle, a sent one of the Lord Jesus. Indeed he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, as St Luke records of him. He was called by the Holy Spirit not only to discipleship, but to the apostolic ministry of the Gospel. He was ordained to that office by the laying on of hands with the Word of God and prayer. Thus he was sent by the crucified and risen Lord Jesus through His Church to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins in His Name and by His stead.
This is the way of the Lord; the way of the Cross. Everything Jesus does, His Apostles do as well, always depending on Him and delivering what He has accomplished by the atoning sacrifice of His Cross. For it is not by any character or quality within the man, but only by the Cross of our Lord Jesus, that men are freed from the possession of demons, anointed with the healing oil of His mercy and redeeming love.
This is true of St Barnabas. Indeed of all the apostles. Before they are sent they are called to follow Jesus, to learn from Him, as catechumens of His Word. They have nothing to give to others except what they themselves have heard and received from Him. Nor are they to rely on anyone else, but they receive His provision by grace within the household and family of His Church.
What is true of the apostles likewise applies to all servants of the Word, indeed to all Christians. For this is why are you are called Christian, one who not only follows after Christ in the way of His Cross, but one who is the prized possession of Him who is your Lord and Redeemer and has called you to Himself in love.
This is modeled for you in the Old Testament through the Levites, the priests, who owned no property within the boundaries of the Promised Land. They lived entirely off the generosity of the congregation of Israel and the provision of the Lord through both His people. The Word of the Lord and His Holy Name were their heritage. Not land or wealth, nor privilege, popularity, or prestige, but the Gospel was their Treasure.
So it was for St Barnabas, known among the disciples as “Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth.” Even before he was called and ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry, he sold his property and laid all of the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles for the care of the community of the Church. Such charity of faith exemplifies the reason for which the Apostles called him Barnabas, which means, “Son of Encouragement.”
Thus did he become a true Levite, indeed, in supporting the Royal High Priesthood of Christ in His Church and Ministry on earth. Not only of the Twelve in Jerusalem, but then also following St Paul in the blossoming mission of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Later, St Barnabas lent his support to St Mark, his cousin and evangelist, by whom we have received the Holy Gospel.
Again and again we find St Barnabas giving of himself in loving service to others; not seeking fame or glory for himself, but living in the grace of his Lord Jesus Christ, by faith in the Gospel. Thus is he a dutiful example to you and all the Church. Though you are not an apostle, and most of you will not become pastors and teachers of the Church, nevertheless, as a Christian you are called to live by faith in Christ and in love for your neighbors, especially for those who belong to the household and family of God.
This is what it means to be sent out without any bread or bag or money belt, but only with your staff in hand and sandals on your feet. This is the new and greater Exodus of Christ, the Son of God, who has crossed over from death to life by His Sacrifice for you and in His Resurrection. He is your true Passover, who is alone your Meat and Drink indeed. He is your Daily Bread, your Manna from heaven, which God the Father opens His gracious hand to provide you in the wilderness.
You are baptized into His Exodus, and now, it is by His Staff that you are guarded from all harm and danger, and that you are guided on the Way of Life. He has called you out of darkness into His marvelous Light. He has raised you from death and the grave to newness of life. He has turned you from your sins to Himself. He has given you His Spirit and called you in His Righteousness. He has taken you by the hand and will keep you. He has taken you from your idols and made you His own people to praise and thank, serve and obey Him - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - as His royal priesthood and holy nation.
For the Lord God who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, has given His Word into the hands of St Barnabas and through His Holy Office of the Gospel, hands over His Word to His Church. These are the new things He now declares: that from coast lands and islands, from Cypress to Cyrene, to Singapore and Sumatra, to Siberia and the Sudan, even to Indianapolis, He causes His Word to be preached, He pours out His Spirit, and He provides the Bread of Life for His people.
As surely as the Gospel went out from Jerusalem to the Greeks by the speaking of St Barnabas, and as surely as alms were then sent from the Gentile Christians in Antioch to the Church in Judea by the hand of that good man, so surely has the Lord opened His mouth to speak to you, and opened His hands to feed you in this place. He also opens your ears to hear and opens your mouth to feast upon the Passover of Christ in His true Body and Blood, so that you, together with St Barnabas and all the company of heaven, sing unto the Lord this New Song that He has taught you: The Song of God and of the Lamb forevermore.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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