June 11, 2026 Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle Gospel: Matthew 10:7–13
Today is Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Barnabas the Apostle. The Roman Martyrology tells us that Saint Barnabas (first century) is frequently mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. He introduced Saint Paul to the Twelve Apostles and accompanied him on his first missionary journey. Saint Barnabas was also present at the Council of Jerusalem; although he was not one of the Twelve, he has long been venerated with the title of “Apostle.” Traditions regarding his death vary: one holds that he was martyred in his native Cyprus, while others record that he died in Salamis, Greece; there is also an improbable claim that he was the first Bishop of Milan. His name is included in the Roman Canon.
In today’s Gospel, taken from Saint Matthew, we witness Jesus giving instructions to His Twelve Apostles as He sends them out for their first mission. I wish to offer some reflections upon these words.
Why did Jesus command His Apostles to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God? Because the Kingdom of which Jesus spoke stands in stark contrast to that preached by the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, elders, and chief priests of His time. They conceived of the Kingdom as ruled by a God who rewards the good and punishes the wicked—a God who delights in sacrifice, who harshly chastises those who fail to offer oblations, and who admits only the sacrificers into His realm. But the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus belongs to a God who loves all, a God who is Love itself; all who are beloved by Him may enter.
Furthermore, Jesus commanded them: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give” (cf. Matt 10:8). This signifies that they were to heal those whose souls were infected by sin, to proclaim the Word of God to them, and to awaken them by that Word, lest they slumber any longer in sin. Rather, through the grace of Baptism and the power of the Divine Word, they were to be cleansed of their defilement and brought to live in the world of God which Jesus proclaimed, no longer enslaved by the devil.
I would add: Today, we who have received Christ’s Baptism and the Holy Spirit are likewise called to fulfill this same mission. We must actively seek out those whose hearts are wounded, those whose faith has grown tepid for various reasons, those who are marginalized, the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, those in acute distress, and the infirm. To them, we must reveal the countenance of God’s mercy, bringing them the Gospel of Christ. Thus, having received Baptism like us, they too may be cleansed, crucifying the old self marked by the death of sin, allowing that sinful ego to perish, so that being grafted onto our Lord Jesus, they may attain eternal life. Let them no longer follow the ways of the world, but the law of the world of God as taught by Jesus.
On this Memorial of Saint Barnabas, the Church invites us to imitate his example: to be steadfast in the Sacred Word, diligently accompanying brothers and sisters who have strayed, that they may experience the paternal love and warmth of the Father proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and walking in the footsteps of Christ toward holiness.
O God, who decreed that Saint Barnabas,a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,should be set apart to convert the nations,grant that the Gospel of Christ,which he strenuously preached,may be faithfully proclaimed by word and by deed.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever.
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