Homily | June 11, 2026 | Barnabas And The Higher Bar Of Christian Maturity | (Episode 156)

Today the readings give us a powerful lesson about what it means to be a mature Christian.

Many people think Christianity is primarily about avoiding certain sins.

Don't do this, don't do that, stay out of trouble.

But Jesus and the early church set the bar much higher.

Christianity is not merely the absence of evil, it is the presence of Christ.

In the first reading, we meet Barnabas, one of the most important figures of the New Testament, yet one of the ones that we least talk about.

In fact, most of us know very little about Barnabas.

We know a great deal about Saint Paul, yet without Barnabas, there might never have been the missionary journeys of Paul as we know them.

Notice what the scripture says about him.

He was a good man filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.

What a beautiful description.

Imagine if that was written about us or on our tombstones.

Not that he was wealthy, not that he was influential, not that he was successful.

Simply he was a good man filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.

Barnabas arrives in Antioch and sees something beautiful happening.

People are converting, the gospel is spreading, the church is growing, and what does he do?

He encourages them.

The name Barnabas actually means son of encouragement.

He was a kind of person who made others better.

And I think there's a lesson for us here.

There are two kinds of people in every parish, every family, every workplace, those who drain energy from a room, and those who bring life into a room.

Barnabas was the second kind.

When he saw God's grace at work, he rejoiced.

When he saw potential in others, he encouraged it.

When others were suspicious of Saul's conversion, Barnabas believed in him.

When the church needed missionaries, Barnabas said yes.

The church grows because of people like that.

In fact, one of the most overlooked ministries in the church is encouragement.

The word of encouragement can change a life.

A teacher encouraging a student, a parent encouraging a child, a spouse encouraging a husband or wife, a parishioner encouraging a priest.

You may never know how much a simple word can strengthen another person's faith.

But then notice something else.

Barnabas goes to find Saul and brings him to Antioch.

For an entire year there are there together teaching.

Barnabas understood something that every good leader understands.

The mission is bigger than me.

He wasn't interested in building his own reputation.

He wasn't interested in any of the applause.

No, he was interested in building the kingdom.

The saints are not competitors, they are collaborators.

And because Barnabas was humble enough to share the mission, countless souls would eventually hear the gospel through Paul's preaching.

Now, if we connect all of this to today's gospel, Jesus says something startling.

Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The people listening must have been shocked.

The Pharisees were known for meticulous religious observances.

How could anyone surpass them?

The answer is that Jesus is moving the conversation from external behavior to the human heart.

The Pharisees focused heavily on the letter of the law.

Jesus focuses on the spirit of the law.

It is not enough simply to avoid murder.

You must confront anger.

It's not enough to avoid violence.

You must seek reconciliation.

It's not enough to appear holy.

The heart must be transformed.

This is one of those central teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus is not lowering the standards by any means.

He is raising it.

He is saying that holiness is not merely about what we do with our hands, it is about what we do with our hearts.

And that brings us back to Barnabas.

Barnabas wasn't simply obeying rules, his heart had been transformed by Christ.

This is why he encourages others.

This is why he could reject rejoice in the success of others.

This is why he could be generous with his gifts.

That's why the Holy Spirit could send him on mission.

The gospel today challenges us to examine something many of us carry around every day unresolved anger.

Jesus says that people, before we bring our gifts to the altar, we should seek reconciliation.

Why?

Well, because resentment is poison to the spiritual life.

We often think the person we refuse to forgive is imprisoned.

In reality, we're the ones sitting in the cell.

Forgiveness does not mean pretending that wrongs never happened.

It does not mean saying evil was good.

No, it means refusing to let bitterness have the final word.

The saints understood this.

Barnabas could encourage others because his heart was free, and a free heart becomes fertile soil for the Holy Spirit.

So today on this feast of Barnabas, perhaps we can ask ourselves a couple questions.

Am I known for criticism or encouragement?

Am I building my own kingdom or Christ's kingdom?

Is there anyone that I see or that I associate with that needs forgiveness?

Because the world does not need more religious people who simply follow the rules.

The world needs more disciples whose hearts have been transformed by Christ.

Men and women who are good, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith, men and women like Barnabas.

And through people like that, the church continues to grow.

Amen.