Saint Barnabas, Apostle
S. Barnabae Apostoli
Saint Barnabas, though not one of the Twelve, is honoured by the Church as an Apostle for his labours in the earliest spread of the Gospel, the companion of Saint Paul on his first missionary journey.
Saint Barnabas holds a place of singular honour in the history of the early Church. A Levite born on the island of Cyprus, his given name was Joseph, but the Apostles called him Barnabas, which the Scripture interprets as “son of consolation.” Though he was not numbered among the Twelve, the Church venerates him with the title of Apostle, for he was among the first labourers in the Lord’s harvest and a chosen instrument in carrying the faith to the nations.
A man of good will and generosity
The Acts of the Apostles shows us Barnabas as a man of generous and open heart. In the first fervour of the Church at Jerusalem, he sold a field that he owned and laid the price at the feet of the Apostles for the use of the community. When the newly converted Saul came to Jerusalem and the disciples still feared him, it was Barnabas who took him by the hand, vouched for him, and brought him to the Apostles. Sacred Scripture bears him this beautiful testimony: that he was “a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.”
Apostle to the nations
When word came of the growth of the Church at Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians, the Church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas there, and he in turn sought out Saul to share the work. The two were set apart by the Holy Ghost and sent forth together on the first great missionary journey, preaching through Cyprus and the cities of Asia Minor. Barnabas thus stands at the very beginning of the Church’s mission to the Gentiles. Ancient tradition holds that he afterward returned to his native Cyprus and there gave his life for Christ as a martyr.
His witness today
The Church prays on his feast that, as God gladdens us by the merits and intercession of His Apostle Barnabas, so we who ask His benefits through him may obtain them by the gift of His grace. In Saint Barnabas the faithful honour generosity that holds nothing back, the charity that believes the best of a converted sinner, and the missionary zeal that carries the Gospel to far places. His name, “son of consolation,” is itself a summons to be a source of encouragement to others in the Lord.
The Collect
O God, who dost gladden us by the merits and intercession of blessed Barnabas Thine Apostle: mercifully grant that we who ask Thy benefits through him may obtain them by the gift of Thy grace. Through our Lord.
Deus, qui nos beáti Bárnabæ Apóstoli tui méritis et intercessióne lætíficas: concéde propítius; ut, qui tua per eum benefícia póscimus, dono tuæ grátiæ consequámur. Per Dóminum.
Patronage
He is venerated as the Apostle of Cyprus and the founder of its Church, and is invoked as a peacemaker and against hailstorms.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar his feast is observed on 11 June as an obligatory memorial.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Barnabas?
His feast is kept on 11 June in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Third Class feast.
Who was Saint Barnabas?
He was an early disciple, a Levite of Cyprus, who became the companion of Saint Paul on the first missionary journey. Though not one of the Twelve, he is honoured by the Church with the title of Apostle for his part in the earliest spread of the Gospel.
Why is Barnabas called an Apostle if he was not one of the Twelve?
The title “Apostle” is given to him because he was sent forth (as the word means) to preach the Gospel to the nations and was a chosen instrument of the Holy Ghost in the mission of the early Church, especially among the Gentiles.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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