A Reflection for the Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
Find today’s readings here.
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 (Acts 11:23-24).
When I was in college, my friends would gently tease me about my propensity to bring up religion at parties: “How many drinks until Ashley starts talking to a stranger about God?” Although I had been raised Catholic and never left the church, it was in college that I began to take my faith seriously. After having a profound experience of Jesus’ mercy in confession, I switched my major from business to religious studies—and I wanted to talk about both the personal and intellectual parts of this faith that seemed so new to this cradle Catholic.
I imagine the first church leaders in Jerusalem, themselves Jews and accustomed to preaching about the Lord to other Jews, thought about sharing the Gospel in Antioch in the same way some Catholics today might think about bringing up Jesus at a frat party. What good can come from preaching to the rich and rowdy pagans there?
So when word got back to Jerusalem that “a great number” in Antioch “believed [and] turned to the Lord,” they sent Barnabas, whose memorial the church celebrates today, to get a hold on the situation, no doubt with a good deal of skepticism about the kind of faith he would find among the Gentiles. (This was before the Council of Jerusalem, where evangelizing the Gentiles became official church policy.)
But it seems that Barnabas, “a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith,” arrived in Antioch with an open mind and heart. He rejoiced when he “saw the grace of God” at work among the people, and even sent for then-Saul to come teach with him in Antioch. (Another reason to celebrate this lesser-known missionary apostle today: It was Barnabas who vouched for his formerly Christian-persecuting friend Saul and introduced him to the Twelve in Jerusalem.)
Barnabas offers important lessons for modern evangelizers and missionaries. God’s grace is often at work in people and places before the “official” church arrives. Instead of seeking to assert control over those places, we should, like Barnabas, rejoice in and encourage those who have begun to turn to the Lord.
I think of the digital world as a modern-day Antioch. There are plenty of places like YouTube, Reddit and TikTok where younger people are discovering and discussing the Catholic faith. Some Catholic leaders may see this as a cause for concern: An influencer or viral post without the imprimatur of a bishop does have the potential to lead people astray. But what if, instead of trying to import the hierarchy into these online communities, Catholic leaders celebrated what is good in them and then taught in a way that resonates with the platform’s unique culture?
I don’t know if I made any converts at bars or around dance floors. But I did talk to people with their own faith stories, questions about religion and a spiritual hunger, and I have no doubt that God’s grace was and is at work in each of them. Thinking back on my college zeal, I’m reminded that while it’s not our job to “save” anyone, we should never write off any person or place (fraternal or digital) as beyond saving and the reach of the good news.
