“Son
of Encouragement” by Melanie Rigney
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of
the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were
distributed to each according to need. Thus Joseph, also named by the
apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), a Levite, a
Cypriot by birth, sold a piece of property that
he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the apostles. (Acts 4:34-37)
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. (Psalm 93:1a)
“If I
tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I
tell you about heavenly things?” (John
3:12)
Piety
Lord, help me to live a life worthy of being called a son or daughter of
encouragement by You.
Study
Acts is one
of my favorite books of the New Testament, because it’s full of action, the
early Christians going to and fro, being persecuted, proclaiming the Gospel,
helping people, so on and so on.
Today’s first
reading has a lot less action—on the surface. It begins with a general narrative
passage in which we are told about the communal style of living, everyone
contributing what he or she has and receiving what he or she needs.
Then we go
from the general to the specific: the introduction of the Cypriot Joseph. This
is the first mention of him in Acts, and what a mention it is. He sells
property and provides the proceeds to his community. And now, the narrative
means more. We have the example of a person who sacrificed a possession for the
good of the community. It’s fitting that the apostles nickname him Barnabas,
son of encouragement.
We all
sacrifice for the body of Christ, offering our time, talent and treasure. But
too often, complaining, judging, and comparing can be part of that sacrifice. May
we learn from the example Barnabas provides—and by the way we sacrifice, may we
also encourage others to do the same.
Action
Think about the
nickname your brothers and sisters in Christ would give you. Would you like it
to be something different?
Image credit: Gerhard Haubold [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/
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