Saint Barnabas and the Beatitudes
“There is no power in the world that can stop the forward march of free men and women when they are joined in the solidarity of human brotherhood.” ~ Walter Reuther
On this the day the Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Barnabas, our 1st Reading (Acts 11:21-26, 13:1-3) speaks in great detail of his discipleship in Antioch, the birthplace of Christianity. Finding Antioch to be fertile ground for those seeking conversion yet realizing that the task at hand was daunting, overwhelming in fact, Barnabas would go on to Tarsus where he enlisted the help of Saint Paul. Upon returning to Antioch, the two went on to continue the work of converting thousands to Christianity, having been chosen by God and inspired by the Holy Spirit in all that they did.
Strength in numbers. It worked then, it works now.
Today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:1-12) introduces us to the Beatitudes, those fundamentals of our Church as taught to us by Jesus, that many have called the “roadmap to happiness.” In the Beatitudes, we are once again reminded that God’s ways are counter to man’s ways, but it was Jesus himself who lived His life according to them, thus showing us the way “In the Beatitudes,“ Pope Francis says, “we find a portrait of the Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives.”
Find some time today to reflect upon these cherished spiritual virtues and begin to plot out small changes that you can make in order to live them in a more faithful and profound way.
Saint Barnabas, pray for us.
For a quick take on Luke’s version of the Beatitudes (6:20-26), please take a moment to read this reflection:
https://hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Daily-Mass-Reflections-912
