Today’s
First Reading (Acts 11:19-26) is, for me, one of the most exciting passages in the Acts
of the Apostles. Why? These verses are exciting because they tell us
that the persecution of the Church in Jerusalem was actually a blessing.
Many Christians fled, and so, the Good News spread beyond the borders of Palestine.
Then we read about Barnabas, “a good man,” who strengthened the young
community in Antioch with his goodness and kindness. More than that, he
went to Tarsus and got Paul out of his loneliness and brought him right
into the center of missionary activity. Without Barnabas searching
for him, we might not know anything
about a certain Paul. And finally, we come to know that it was in
Antioch that the followers of Christ were first called “Christians,” a name you and I still carry with pride. Do you realize why these verses are, for me, so exciting?
We feel in this passage the excitement of growth, the excitement of a dynamic, Spirit-filled community that could not be contained in the city of Antioch,
but would soon drive Barnabas and Paul into the Hellenistic world to
make Christ known to countless people throughout many countries.
How I wish our faithful here would be as
dynamic as those in Antioch, as Barnabas and Paul were! Fortunately,
there are many Charismatic groups and other lay communities where I feel
the exciting spirit of the community in Antioch. But unfortunately,
too, many faithful do not live out their faith in daily life. They don’t
give the example Barnabas and Paul gave, through whom the Church grew
dramatically. And so the Church here does not have the
influence on the society She should and could have. The result? Graft
and corruption, immorality and criminality flourish here more than in
some neighboring Buddhist countries. How sad!
REFLECTION QUESTION: How many people have you brought to Christ through your example and living faith?
