Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 11, 2019
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”
You are…
As a sixth grader, I fed my dying grandmother. Afterward, I slipped away to my bedroom, hiding uncontrollable sobs. This is how I was designed: compassion led me to tears.
I buried my face in a pillow. If anyone heard, I felt, they would never let me feed her again, surmising the task too burdensome for a little boy. True enough, I was overcome, but not with sorrow, instead I was flooded with the fullness of joy that comes through loving service.
I prayed, “What can I become? I want this feeling for the rest of my life!” I heard a voice say, “You are a priest, physician, and peacemaker.” I spun around. There was no one.
My vocational call was to a place I already came from, to a person I already was.
Throughout today’s scriptures, God proclaims, “You are.” You are salt, light, God’s glory. You and I are something already. I am designed by God for a purpose, just as my lungs are designed for breathing.
Predestined? No. We still have the freedom to ignore our design. But holding our breath is a fatal exercise of free will, as is withholding our love from neighbor or enemy. God created, will sustain, and redeems salt’s flavor and light’s brightness in our flavor, our brightness.
The glory of God has been sent forth as you and me. Our freedom and life of discovery is to walk in step with God’s design for us, even when there is only enough light to take one step at a time. We do not have to become great. We are simply asked to refrain from our fatal decision to place our light under a basket for “your light must shine before others” (Mt 5:16).
Prayer
Dear Lord, we so much want to live in the light of your faithfulness. Help us never to become complacent in our journey with you. Guide us to be more giving—better listeners, slower to judge, and champions of others. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Barnabas is most known for being the traveling companion of St. Paul in his journeys to establish Christian communities among people who were not Jewish.
Barnabas was not one of the 12 disciples, but he is known as an apostle because he worked so closely with the disciples. His name was Joseph, but the disciples changed it to Barnabas, which St. Luke defines as “man of encouragement.”
The Acts of the Apostles describe the early followers of Jesus living together and holding everything in common. Many sold their possessions and offered the proceeds to the disciples and to the Christian community. Barnabas is singled out for his contribution from the sale of his estate (Acts 4:36).
When Paul came to Jerusalem after his conversion, many were skeptical of his change of heart. Barnabas spoke for Paul and helped the community welcome him. It was Barnabas who introduced Paul to the other disciples.
The disciples established a Christian community in Antioch, and wanted someone from Jerusalem to help the new converts there—they chose Barnabas. He continued to win converts by his preaching, and found himself needing help. Paul came and spent a year in Antioch, growing the community there. It was in Antioch that people first started calling followers of Jesus “Christians.”
The Church in Antioch grew and flourished. When Jerusalem and Palestine fell into famine during a drought, the Christians in Antioch raised money to support people in Jerusalem, and they entrusted it to Paul and Barnabas to be delivered. The two continued traveling after that, preaching the Gospel and establishing new communities. Finding that the Jews did not welcome their message, they devoted their efforts to converting Gentiles.
After their journey, Paul and Barnabas parted ways after a dispute, and not much else is known of Barnabas—he may have been stoned and martyred in Salamis. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Barnabas, you were the apostle who established Christian communities in your travels with Paul—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Barnabas is in the public domain. Last accessed February 13, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
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