St. Barnabas More Saints
From the beginning of a letter
attributed to Barnabas (d. c. 61)
The new creation
The Lord was willing to hand over his body for destruction so that by the shedding of his blood we might be made holy through the remission of our sins. According to Scripture this refers to both Israel and us. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised by our iniquities; by his wounds we are healed. He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, like a lamb that is dumb before its shearer. What a debt of gratitude, then, do we owe to the Lord for letting us see the meaning of the past, for instructing us about the present and not leaving us in ignorance about the future. In the words of Scripture: Not unjustly are nets spread for birds. This means that a man is justly condemned if, knowing the right way, he heads into the way of darkness.
The Lord was ready to undergo suffering for our souls' sake, even though he is Lord of the whole earth, the one to whom God said at the foundation of the world: Let us make man in our own image and likeness. But, in that case, my brothers, how could he allow himself to suffer at the hands of men? This is the explanation. The prophets inspired by his grace foretold what he would do; he allowed himself to suffer because he had to be seen in the flesh, in order that he might destroy the power of death and manifest the resurrection from the dead. In this way he would carry out the promises that had been made to our forefathers, and while still on earth prepare for himself a new people; he would also show that, after the resurrection, he was to be our judge. Furthermore, by teaching Israel and working such great signs and wonders, he proclaimed the good news and showed the depths of his love for that people.
Having thus renewed us by forgiving our sins, he refashioned us; he gave us the souls of children, as though we had been born anew. For it is to us that Scripture refers when the Father says to the Son: Let us make man according to our own image and likeness; and let him rule over the beasts on the earth and the birds in the air and the fish in the sea. The Lord saw the beauty of our fashioning and added: Increase and multiply and fill the earth.
All this God said to his Son. But let me now point out to you how he also speaks to us. It is indeed a second act of creation that the Lord has performed in these last days; that is why he says: Behold, I am making the last things like the first. It was this that the prophet had in mind when he said: Enter into a land flowing with milk and honey, and rule over it. It is true, you see, that we have been completely remade. This is what God means by the words of another prophet: Behold, says the Lord, I will take the stony hearts out of this people, that is, the people whom the Spirit of the Lord foreknew, and put hearts of flesh into them. For he willed to appear in the flesh and live among us.
And so, my brothers, the dwelling place of our hearts is a temple sacred to the Lord. Again, the Lord says: Let me give thanks to you in the assembly of the people. So it is we whom he has led into a fertile land.Source: The Liturgy of the Hours - Office of Readings
St. Barnabas, (d. c. 61) though not one of the twelve chosen by Christ, is nevertheless styled an Apostle by the early Church fathers and by St. Luke himself in Acts 14, 13 due to his zealous participation in apostolic activities. He was a Jew of the tribe of Levi born in Cyprus and named Joseph. After the ascension of Christ, the Apostles changed his name to Barnabas and is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 4:36). St. John Chrysostom tells that Barnabas was known for his compassion in ministering comfort to the afflicted and St. Jerome said he excelled in prophetic gifts. He was one of the first, and chief, of the seventy disciples of Christ. Owning a large estate, Barnabas sold everything and laid the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles.
It was Barnabas who introduced Paul to the apostles Peter and James in Jerusalem recommending they accept Paul as a disciple, which they did.
Barnabas was sent to establish the Christian community at Antioch, and later accompanied Paul from Tarsus to Antioch. By this time, the two are believed to already be bishops and Apostles of the Gentiles, given the commission to preach the Gospel to the Gentile nations. The two together brought Antioch's donation to the community at Jerusalem during a famine and returned to Antioch with John Mark, a cousin to Barnabas. The three went on a missionary journey to Cyprus, Perga, the place where John Mark, weary of the hardships and dangerous obstinacy of the Jews, returned to Jerusalem. They went from there to Iconium in Lycaonia and then to Lystra, where Paul cured the cripple and they were acclaimed gods, but at the instigation of the Jews, Paul was stoned and left for dead. Miraculously healed, Paul returned with Barnabas to Antioch, ordaining priests in every church along the way.
When a dispute arose regarding the observance of the Jewish rites, Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem, where the first council of the apostles was held deciding pagans did not have to be circumcised to be baptized into the Church.
On their return to Antioch, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them but Paul objected because of John Mark's desertion of them in Perga. Paul and Barnabas parted and Barnabas returned to Cyprus with John Mark whose rift with Paul was later healed . Tradition has Barnabas preaching in Alexandria, Milan and Rome and was ultimately stoned to death at the instigation of dissident Jews in Salamis around the year 61.
Source: Compiled by Catholic Radio Dramas.com from: Butler's Lives of the Saints; Dictionary of Saints - Delaney; Liturgy of the Hours.