Truly, matters in the world are in a bad state; but if you and I begin in earnest to reform ourselves, a really good beginning will have been made.
~~St. Peter of Alcantara
June 11, 2018
Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
Lectionary: 580/359
Reading 1ACTS 11:21B-26; 12:1-3
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 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.
Responsorial PsalmPS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4, 5-6
R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
AlleluiaMT 5:12A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
******************************
MAKING THE RIGHT COMPARISONS
Are you a Barnabas? He sometimes seems to have disappeared in St. Paul's shadow. For a long time, these two men were partners in ministry, but Paul is the one we remember because of his abundant writings. Barnabas was no less of an apostle, no less important in the mission of Christ. We get a glimpse of this in today's first reading.
Are you comparing yourself to the Pauls in your life and ranking yourself as less important? Or perhaps you're not reaching your full potential in ministry because you sell yourself short, doing less than others because you think you can never do it as well as others.
Comparisons are fine if we use the information to make good decisions. But if it results in raising up one person as superior to another, it's evil. It denies the dignity and giftedness and uniqueness of the so-called "inferior" individual. When comparing ourselves to others, if it raises us up or puts us down, it's a sin. It paralyzes us from doing all that we can do.
No one is superior or inferior -- we're just different. All are made in the image of God, who is the only Superior One. And Jesus needs all of us to function together as different parts of the same body -- his body on earth -- to continue to carry out his mission of making this world a better place and leading more souls to heaven.
Comparisons that lead to feelings of superiority or inferiority are based on the assumption -- wrongly -- that we fully know the people we're comparing. Any readers, for example, who compare their spirituality against mine have no idea what it took for me to get where I am today, how long it took me to get here, and what my shortcomings still are (except my husband, Ralph, who is merciful enough to not mention the faults he sees daily).
The only valid comparison, the only helpful comparison, is who we are today versus who we were in the past. In short: how far we've come. We can only rightfully compare ourselves against ourselves. This is what leads us to repentance when we've sinned, to healing when we discover old wounds, and to better use of our giftedness.
We must never, never compare our present selves to our past selves for the sake of finding only what's bad and in need of repentance or change. It is not prideful to pat ourselves on the back for the goodness that is in us, or for what we've overcome, or for how much we've grown, as long as we recognize that God is the source of all this. Indeed, noticing how we've improved gives us the stamina and insight to continue improving, all of which glorifies God in whose image we were made.
Barnabas happily fulfilled his calling as an apostle, because it didn't bother him that Paul was more famous. Are you a Barnabas? No! You are an incomparably unique and wonderful masterpiece of God, called to do what you are uniquely able to do.
Beloved Jesus, Give me Your loving gaze as I suffer the persecutions and trials of following You. May I learn how to bless You and thank You whenever they happen. Amen.
-----------------------------
God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
No comments:
Post a Comment