What do Antioch and New York City have in common?

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle

Find today’s readings here.

The first reading tells us about St. Barnabas, whose feast day we celebrate today. The traveling companion of St. Paul won many souls for Christ during his ministry in the ancient Syrian city of Antioch.

How exciting it must have been, when those early believers “were first called Christians” in Antioch almost 2,000 years ago. The city abuzz with talk of the Messiah; the zeal of new converts coming in droves to embrace Jesus’ teachings; stories immortalized in Scripture still being written.

It can all be a little hard to envision. And even if we can imagine such an environment, it may still be hard to believe that a place and time so incredible really existed. 

I find it a little easier to believe after the past couple weeks. New York City has recently felt something like what I imagine Antioch must have been just after the time of Christ’s ministry.

After a long, cold winter, summer weather has hit here in full force. Outdoor dining is back. We have a mayor who, even if you do not totally align with his politics, is young, positive and hopeful in a way that makes people believe that we are capable of working together. And most importantly, the New York Knicks are one game away from winning their first N.B.A. championship in over half a century.

Orange-and-blue Knicks regalia fills the subways and lines the streets. Throats are coarse from screaming “Knicks in 4” at random passersby who surprisingly respond back with glee in a city famous for rude pedestrians. We are experiencing a sort of communal elation I have never before seen anywhere in my life.

There is something about witnessing and participating in shared excitement like this that helps us better imagine what it was like to be in Antioch all those years ago. Jalen Brunson may not be St. Barnabas. (Emphasis on may. I’m not entirely convinced that he has not been divinely ordained to deliver New York a championship.) But if New York is this exciting because of a basketball team, think of the incredible joy the early Christians must have felt when they first gathered together in service of the Gospel.

As we cheer on our teams and enjoy the summer sun together, let us remember their jubilation, and let that remembrance sustain us.

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