Mass Readings for : Tuesday, 11th June, 2024

Liturgical Readings for : Tuesday, 11th June, 2024

06- 11 St Barnabas, apostle

FIRST READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 11:21-26. 13:1-3
I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.

A great number believed and were converted to the Lord.

The church in Jerusalem heard about this and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
There he could see for himself that God had given grace, and this pleased him, and he urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion;
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith.
And a large number of people were won over to the Lord.

Barnabas then left for Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. As things turned out they were to live together in that church a whole year, instructing a large number of people.
It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians‘.

In the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said,
‘I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.’
So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 97
Response The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

1. Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation. Response

2. The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel. Response

3. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord all the earth, ring out your joy. Response

4. Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp, with the sound of music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn acclaim the King, the Lord. Response

Gospel Acclamation Mt 28: 18. 20
Alleluia, alleluia!
Go, make disciples of all the nations says the Lord;
I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 10:7-13 Glory to you, O Lord
And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the workman deserves his keep.

‘Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you.’

The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Gospel Reflection 11 June Feast of Saint Barnabas Matthew 10:7-13

In the gospel reading, Jesus sends out the twelve apostles on mission within Galilee, to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. In the first reading, the church of Antioch send out Paul and Barnabas on mission to places far beyond Antioch, to Cyprus and parts of modern-day Turkey. Paul and Barnabas were leading lights of the church in Antioch and yet the members of the church were happy to share these two leaders with others, far beyond their shores. Of the two, Paul is better known to us because of his extraordinary missionary journeys and the many letters that have come down to us from him.
Yet, Barnabas was very significant in another way. It was Barnabas who created an opening in the early church for Paul, when others were still suspicious of him because of his past persecution of the church. As today’s first reading says, it was Barnabas who went looking for Paul in Tarsus, his native city, and brought him to Antioch because Barnabas saw that there was a great opening for Paul’s gifts in this city where the gospel had been preached to pagans for the first time.

Barnabas was what we can today call an ‘enabler’. It is not surprising that his nickname in the early church, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was ‘son of encouragement’. That role of enabler or encourager remains a vital role in the church today. We all have the capacity to create openings where the gifts of someone else can flourish for the service of the whole church. It takes a certain humility to create a space where others can flourish to their potential in the service of the Lord. It is the attitude of John the Baptist, expressed in his comment with regard to Jesus, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’. The feast of Barnabas invites us to ask, ‘What can I do for someone so that Jesus may increase today?’