For earlier in the book of Acts, St. Luke writes that the name Barnabas means “son of encouragement”. His birth name, as a levite Jew, was Joseph. But the apostles named him “Barnabas”. And it sounds like Barnabas took that name seriously, encouraging Christians to remain faithful.
We live in a broken world. Our bodies break down, our plans falter, our dreams die, our resolves weaken, our perspective dims. Dwelling on the state of our world can lead to despair. There’s plenty of reason to tend toward discouragement just from the world, but even the scriptures are clear that we will experience suffering, persecution, and trials of various kinds.
But the Word of God teaches us to guard against discouragement. In the Gospel of John, Jesus warned that “in this world you will have trouble.” But then he offered a much needed word of encouragement: “But take heart; I have overcome the world”. In times of discouragement we are to meditate upon the victory of Christ over sin and evil and death.
But not only are we to personally meditate on the Word of God to fight off discouragement. We are to encouragement each other. The Letter to the Hebrews says, “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
We all have the vocation, therefore, of being St. Barnabas’ to teach other. We are to encourage each other, as brothers and sisters in Christ to remain faithful to the Lord when we begin to doubt or when facing a terrible temptation.
When encouragement is absent from the life of a church people will feel unloved, unimportant, useless, and forgotten. So we are to encourage that they are loved by the Lord, that they are needed in the life of the Church, and that they are wanted.
Someone in this parish is likely waiting for your encouragement to really take an active role in the work that is being done here. Or perhaps, some young person is waiting for your encouragement to take that next step in considering the Lord’s call to a religious vocation or to the priesthood. Making an intention every day to send someone an encouraging note, email, text, or phone call is never a waste of time.
Each of us can make an invaluable contribution to renewing our parish and building up the Body of Christ, not only through prayer, but by actively encouraging our brothers and sisters to be faithful to the Lord in the mission of the Gospel for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
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That during this month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, all Christians may witness to the tender love of Christ through our prayer, fasting, and works of charity.
For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.
For all married couples, that they may be faithful to the Gospel in every dimension of their married life—and that single and celibate Christians may witness to the sacrificial, all-embracing love of Christ for all.
For the sick, the impoverished, the lonely, those suffering from mental illness, those most in need, and those near death: may God, through the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be close to them in their trials
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord
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