On valuable farmland on the island of Cyprus, there lived a man who had heard about the teachings of Jesus. So he traveled to Antioch to meet other people called Christians. Then he sold his farm and gave the proceeds to that expanding faithful community. His original name had been Joseph, but his friends named him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.” (See Acts 4:36.) His influence brought others to faith in Jesus, one of whom was Paul. Barnabas uplifted and inspired Paul to begin traveling and preaching and become Christianity’s greatest missionary.
In our time, let us imitate Barnabas by reaching out to others who need encouragement. I’ve heard of one youth group that was encouraged to raise money to purchase a bus for mission trips. After acquiring the bus, they named it Barnabus. This 1st-century saint continues to inspire and give encouragement in many ways.
Thank you for all your prayers for Jessi ♥️ She passed her retest and now she can focus on her STEP2 exam in a couple of weeks ✝️ Praise You, Lord Jesus Christ in Hebrews 4:16, “So let us boldly approach God’s throne of grace. Then we will receive mercy. We will find grace to help us when we need it!” ♥️✝️♥️
Dr. Jessi will be amazing! Love that she is crushing it.
My to do list for today: - Count my blessings - Practice kindness -Let go of what I can’t control - Listen to my Heart - Be productive yet calm - Just breathe
Love this Peggy! Amen!
Fantastic Peggy. So productive! Love the list!
Lord please hear our prayers and bring your light to all those experiencing natural disasters, Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur, the Sudan, and all those suffering around the world - also for their strength, courage and resilience to continue walking in faith. Send them your light. Father in Heaven, have mercy on us and on the whole world! You sent Your Son, the Prince of Peace, for the salvation of the world. We pray that the Peace of Christ will reign in Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur and Sudan. Please protect and send aid to those in need and all who are at-risk. We pray for peace and rebuilding– we who are working towards it and for all those who are suffering or in danger from conflicts. We pray for an end to violence and war – we pray for wisdom for all leaders who have a hand in this. Lord God please help those in most need of thy mercy. Amen.
Living faith today's wisdom of the saints I will share even if it's late. Death It is a living act to show sadness when our dear ones are torn from us, but it's an holy act to be joyful through hope and trust in the promise of god Saint Paulinus of Nola
Father James thank you for your wonderful story. Encouragement that's what it's about. Pam we were told local church Lady of Peace will be merged. Whatever that means . Now I have more concerns, that is the Church that I meet my 2nd graders. My church Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary does not have actual classes but does it on line. God will provide. Jane hope your work situation is improving. Please Continue to pray for Debbie and Anna Christine and Stephanie and the souls in purgatory. My youngest daughter birthday is today. Ken
Hi Ken, Happy Birthday wishes to your daughter today! Continued prayers for Anna, Christine, Stephanie and Debbie. Good Luck with the Church mergers. Lots of mixed feelings, I’m sure.
Deacon! I absolutely LOVED "Barna-bus"! How apropos for a Mission Bus! Ken, I left a comment late yesterday about our WNY Diocese. And peggyR, what fun to have a Living Faith Family Birthday Friend!!! Sounds like we both are sweetly blessed! Here's to another God Blessed year...for ALL of us!!!
Thank you Deacon Miller for another of your wonderful reflections on today's readings and devotion. You inspire me with your words of encouragement to be a servant of God. Your reflections are the highlight of the week. And I love "Lord, what are we going to do today!" That's become my every morning thought. Love it! Thank you for your enthusiasm.
*** This is how the lives of Barnabas and Paul intersected first in Acts 9:26-27, “When Saul came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the believers. But they were all afraid of him. They didn’t believe he was really one of Jesus’ followers. But Barnabas took him to the apostles. He told them about Saul’s journey. He said that Saul had seen the Lord. He told how the Lord had spoken to Saul. Barnabas also said that Saul had preached without fear in Jesus’ name in Damascus!” *** Then Barnabas recruited Paul to preach together at Antioch by the prompting of the Holy Spirit in Acts 11:24-26, “Barnabas was a good man. He was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. Large numbers of people came to know the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. He found him there. Then he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church. They taught large numbers of people. At Antioch the believers were called Christians for the first time!” *** Then the Holy Spirit sent Paul and Barnabas to their first missionary journey together in Acts 13:2-3, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke. “Set apart Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for me,” He said. “I have appointed them to do special work.” The prophets and teachers fasted and prayed. They placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul. Then they sent them off!” ******* However, Paul and Barnabas disagreed on who they wanted to bring along on their second mission trip, so they parted ways and double the people they reached in Acts 13:36-40, “Some time later Paul spoke to Barnabas. “Let’s go back to all the towns where we preached the Word of the Lord,” he said. “Let’s visit the believers and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. But Paul didn’t think it was wise to take him. Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia. He hadn’t continued with them in their work. Barnabas and Paul strongly disagreed with each other. So they went their separate ways. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas. The believers asked the Lord to give His grace to Paul and Silas as they went!” *** Disagreement on procedures doesn’t have to be a bad thing as Paul and Barnabas did! They focus on the preaching the Word of God and reached more places and people as a result ♥️✝️♥️
Thank you, Freeter and hope you have a wonderful day too! :)
One small correction, Barnabas didn't bring Paul to the Christian faith. God, through Ananias, did that. He encouraged Paul, certainly, but this was after Paul's conversion.
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Father James, love the story about Barnabus. Thank you for sharing that. I so appreciate the gifts shared by the writers here. The collective wisdom is so appreciated. I do a lot of encouraging others at work, so I can relate to this. Karen had her procedure today and Doctors said they accomplished their goals for the procedure, so that is a plus. I continue to send her light. I also am sending light to Debbie, Anna, Christine and Stephanie. May the darkness be removed and the path be made clear. Ken, thank you for praying for the souls in purgatory, as I am right now and may your youngest daughter celebrate a fantastic birthday and another year of life ahead. I am also sending light to those i work with who are feeling the same way I do. I appreciate you all praying for me / us. Know that God is walking with us during this time. Amen.