DAILY HOMILIES #Barnabas

While others were scared of Paul because they judged him as a bad person who later became a Christian, Barnabas saw in Paul a very good man who had a bad past. In this way, Barnabas acted as the salt of the earth, as Jesus instructs in today’s Gospel passage. Just as salt preserves food (prevents it from going stale), Barnabas helped to preserve whatever good was in Saul until he became Paul.

As a worker in any field, pay attention to your spiritual life and do not depend solely on your human efforts and skills. Jesus tells us today: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” Listen to Jesus daily. Obey God’s commandments. Do not worship money.

How on earth did Paul and Barnabas cure the cripple? First, they began by preaching the Word. As they preached, Paul looked at the cripple and “seeing he (the cripple) had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice: ‘Stand upright on your feet.’ He sprang up and walked.” (Acts 14:9-10). The cripple contributed to his miracle because he had faith.

Life is all about connection. No human being can survive entirely on their own. No one is an island. Just as we need to remain connected to Jesus to stay alive spiritually, we also need to be connected to our fellow human beings to remain alive.

“While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”(Acts 13:2). This is the first recorded instance of the Holy Spirit speaking directly, not just to one person, but to an entire congregation; everyone heard and understood the Holy Spirit’s message.

If you have God the Father and God the Son living inside you, will anything be difficult for you? Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12).

Barnabas worked with Paul in the city of Antioch and through them, humans were first called Christians. In a world of individualism where even ministers find it difficult to work together and each person seeks glory for himself even at the expense of the other, the life of Barnabas becomes encouragement in the right direction.

The same Paul and Barnabas who fled from Iconium went to Lystra to preach the Gospel. There was a cripple there who could not use his feet from birth. Seeing that this man had faith, Paul said to him: “Stand upright on your feet.” The cripple sprang up and walked. Truly speaking, as Jesus taught us, “if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible to you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Monday 11th May 2020. Read Acts 14:5-18, Psalm 115 and John 14:21-26 “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” John 14:21.