A Reflection on St. Barnabas: Son of Encouragement

Collect for the Feast of St. Barnabas:

Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well­being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Saint Barnabas — Sandro Botticelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

This week, we turn our attention to someone the Episcopal Church joyfully celebrates each June 11th: St. Barnabas. When we honor a saint, we are not elevating another god or idolizing someone as superhuman. Rather, we give thanks to God for their inspiring example and ask for the courage to live out a piece of their faithful, humble witness.

We do not worship saints or pray to them. Instead, we see them as living examples of Christ’s love, showing us how we might follow in their footsteps. As the Collect reminds us, we thank God for their lives and ask for the strength to become shining examples ourselves.

Before I get to what we can learn from St. Barnabas, I want to share a little background on how someone gets onto our calendar of celebrated holy people.

If you open the Book of Common Prayer, on page 15, you will find the Calendar of the Church Year. On page 19, there is a list of feast days and commemorations. The Episcopal Church also has two major books that list and provide brief bios of the people being commemorated: Lesser Feasts and Fasts and A Great Cloud of Witnesses (formerly known as The Book of Holy Women, Holy Men). In any of these, you will find a very diverse list of names. You will see ancient martyrs, but you will also see modern heroes like Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and C.S. Lewis.

Not everyone listed in these books is officially called a "saint." The Episcopal Church uses these lists to remember holy people who did extraordinary things for the Gospel, whether they lived two thousand years ago or just fifty years ago.

You might wonder how someone gets onto this calendar. The short answer is that the Episcopal Church does not "make" saints.

The Roman Catholic Church has a formal, legal process called canonization. It requires a long investigation, lawyers, and proof of physical miracles. The Episcopal Church does not do this.

Instead, our church honors the ancient saints from early history. For newer names, the General Convention votes on who to add to the calendar. They look for people whose lives show deep faith, love, and service.

Why don't we make saints? Because we believe that through holy baptism, all followers of Jesus are already saints. Regular people doing God’s work in the world are the true church. We, at All Saints, carry that slogan with our namesake—We are All Saints.

Now we arrive at Barnabas himself. His story, found in the Book of Acts (Acts 4:36-37), overflows with practical wisdom for our everyday journeys.

Barnabas was not the name he was given at birth. His parents called him Joseph, a Jewish man from the sunlit island of Cyprus. But when he joined the early church, the apostles saw something special in him and gave him a new name: Barnabas, meaning "Son of Encouragement."

He lived up to this nickname from the very beginning. The first thing we learn about Barnabas is that he sold a piece of his own land and brought every coin to the apostles, offering it to help those in need. Generosity was woven into his story from the start.

Before his conversion, Paul was a dangerous enemy to Christians. He helped arrest them and even cheered when they were killed. When Paul suddenly changed his life and tried to join the disciples in Jerusalem, everyone was terrified of him. They thought it was a trick.

Barnabas alone stepped forward. He reached out to Paul, listened to his story, and brought him to the leaders. Barnabas stood beside Paul when everyone else turned away. Without his courage, Paul might never have found acceptance, and the story of Christianity could have taken a very different path.

What can we learn from Barnabas?

Barnabas shows us how to live out our faith in three simple ways:

1. Practice Active Encouragement

The world often feels harsh and draining. Barnabas invites us to seek the good in others. We can choose to be lifters, not critics. Sometimes, a single kind word or a thoughtful note can brighten someone’s whole week.

2. Share Generously

Barnabas did not cling to his wealth. When he saw a need in his community, he opened his hands and gave what he had. We are invited to look at our own time, money, and talents, and ask how we might share them to help heal the world around us.

3. Offer Second Chances

Forgiving those who have hurt us or carry a troubled reputation is never easy. Barnabas showed remarkable courage by believing Paul could become someone new. He teaches us to let go of old judgments and help others build a brighter future.

This June 11, let us pray to be a little more like Barnabas. May we be people who give generously, welcome the outsider, and earn the title "Son of Encouragement" in our own families and neighborhoods.

Only by grace, Tara+