A Generous Apostle!

Thursday, June 11, 2026

Feast of St. Barnabas, Apostle

Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3; Mt 5: 20-26

Today our holy Mother Church celebrates the feast of St. Barnabas, apostle.

But the interesting fact is that though he was not one of the twelve apostles named by Jesus, St. Barnabas earned the title by who he was in the early Church and by how he enriched the Church’s missionary activity.

We may reflect on the life of St. Barnabas through the prism of generosity. 

1. Material Generosity: Acts 4:36-37 introduces Barnabas as a Levite from Cyprus. While the apostles preferred to call Joseph (the original name of Barnabas) Barnabas (Son of Encouragement), what is more striking is his act of generosity. The subsequent description reads that Barnabas ‘sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.’ We cannot just reduce his act to a charitable donation, as there is more to it. Hence, what Barnabas does is very much an act of discipleship. He had the courage to renounce his material possessions and cling to the Lord as his permanent treasure. Barnabas redefines generosity by showing that it is not about how much we own but about how much we are willing to share. His generosity not only built the early Church but also became a model for us to imitate. 

2. Attitudinal Generosity: The generosity of St. Barnabas was not just limited to money but found its visible expression in his intention and attitude. When other apostles grew suspicious of trusting Paul after his dramatic conversion, it was Barnabas who personally vouched for the one who would eventually be known as the Apostle of Gentiles. We find a beautiful description of the noble generosity of Barnabas with regard to Paul in Acts 9: 26-28. In backing Paul, Barnabas could see what others failed to do. He looked beyond his scandalous past and found God’s grace at work in Paul’s vocation. Later, when Barnabas felt that Paul was needed in Antioch, he ‘went to Tarsus to look for Paul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch’ (Acts 11: 25-26). Here, if Barnabas wished, he could have sought prominence for himself. But Barnabas was not threatened by Paul’s gifts but rejoiced in them. Barnabas was generous in believing in Paul, offered him a second chance, and saw him enriching God’s mission with his unique talents. 

3. Missional Generosity: Though it is unfortunate to find Barnabas and Paul parting ways because of a minor disagreement over John Mark, with his characteristic generosity, Barnabas turns it into a missional opportunity. Though Paul did not want to take Mark on another missionary journey because he had abandoned them previously, Barnabas decided to give Mark another opportunity (Acts 15:36-40). Here, Barnabas remains unchanged. Just as he gave Paul a second chance to prove himself, he was willing to extend Mark a second chance to prove his worth. The issue is amicably dealt with when Paul takes Silas and Barnabas takes John Mark, and both teams undertake their respective missionary journeys. What is remarkable in the whole episode is that Barnabas never allows his personal differences to hinder God’s mission. His decision to trust John Mark did not go in vain, as we find the latter becoming incredibly successful not only as a missionary but also as the author of the Gospel of Mark. We would not have had the first written Gospel had Barnabas let Mark down when he needed someone’s hand to lift him up. This generosity of Barnabas was so missional that he constantly encouraged others to succeed and flourish in God’s mission. 

Let us pray that we may grow into a generous disciple like St. Barnabas.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar