Feast of St Barnabas

Today we honour St Barnabas, one of the twelve apostles chosen by God himself, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Gospel from Matthew (10:7-13) gives an insight into how they lived and served the Lord.

When we think of the Saints, we think the example they lived is something impossible to achieve but we also know that to live a life of Holiness is to be grounded in reality, to be grounded in a relationship with God.

God who saw something special in St Barnabas; something that St Barnabas may not have recognised in himself; he, like all of us, is created in the image and likeness of God.  In reflecting on his example, Fr Peter says we, too, are called to a life of holiness.

As we live our lives, there are times we would rather be silent because there are some parts of the scriptures that really challenge us to go out of our comfort zone to make the message of God known to people who may not have heard him speak to them. Hopefully, we will come to recognise this challenge and the call to discipleship like St Barnabas, who followed the will of God in his life.

There are times when we come across situations as we go through life that we have no control over. Sometimes we would rather give up, even in terms of our faith in God and the gift we received in our Baptism but if we hold true to the call and follow the path that leads to eternity then we will do anything we can not to lose hope.

Fr Peter says just as St Barnabas knew he could not do his mission by himself neither can we. The mission we embark on, as we live our lives, helps us realise that happiness can only be achieved in a relationship with God.