Encourage, Lift, and Trust - Weekday Homily Video

While I was in India, I visited a school at the start of the academic year to bless their newly elected student leaders. As I arrived, a boy in a blazer two sizes too big marched up to me proudly wearing a badge that read: “Third Assistant Pupils’ Leader.” He gave me a firm handshake and said, “Father, I may not be the main guy, but if the main guy is absent and the assistant is late, then I’m in charge!” 

I smiled. It was funny, yes, but also profound. That boy had no delusions of grandeur. He knew his place in the order, but he stood tall, ready to serve.  

A Heart that Sees 

Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Barnabas, though his name in the birth certificate likely said Joseph. Somewhere along the line, the early Church looked at his big heart and generous spirit and said, “You know what? Let’s call him Barnabas, Son of Encouragement.” And the name stuck. He was a Levite, a Jewish convert who joined the early Christian community soon after Pentecost and quickly became known not for preaching thunderously, but for lifting others up. 

Although Barnabas wasn’t one of the original Twelve Apostles, he gets the title anyway. Think of him as the honorary member, like that friend we all had, who didn’t start the group project but ended up presenting it. In the early Church, “apostle” simply meant “one sent,” and Barnabas certainly was, on missions, with Paul, and eventually into martyrdom. 

Barnabas isn’t often the first name that comes to mind when we think of apostles. He didn’t walk on water. He didn’t write half the New Testament. There’s no dramatic escape from prison or a fiery sermon on Pentecost. But Barnabas has something else, something the Church needs deeply: a heart that sees potential before it’s proven. 

When Saul, the former persecutor, first tried to join the disciples, no one trusted him. Except Barnabas. Everyone else saw Saul’s past, Barnabas saw his future. He took Saul by the hand and introduced him to the apostles. Without Barnabas, there might never have been a Paul. 

And when the Church in Antioch started growing with new Gentile converts, Barnabas was sent to check on things. He didn’t show up with suspicion or control. Scripture says he “saw the grace of God and rejoiced.”  

As the Church flourished, Barnabas faded into the background. Before long, the text reads “Paul and Barnabas,” not “Barnabas and Paul.” And Barnabas never protested. Barnabas was a man who didn’t need to lead from the front to change lives. His greatness was not in grabbing the spotlight, but in holding it steady so someone else could step into it. 

That’s the kind of holiness that doesn’t get applause, but it builds up the Church. 

Encourage, Lift, and Trust

In a world that teaches us to compete, climb, and control, Barnabas shows us another way: encourage, lift, and trust. He reminds us that encouragement is not a soft virtue, it’s the oxygen of vocation. We all need someone who believes in us when we’re still unsure of ourselves. Someone who says, “I see God’s grace in you, keep going.” 

Barnabas was that someone. He was the bridge. The steady hand. The “Third Assistant Pupils’ Leader” of the early Church, quietly holding everything together when no one else was paying attention. 

And maybe that’s our call too. Not to be noticed, but to notice. Not to dominate, but to delight when others rise. So today, let’s pray for the grace to be more like Barnabas, faithful, joyful, encouraging, and ready to believe in someone else’s potential, even before it’s obvious. 

Because heaven doesn’t just reward those who finish first. It crowns those who helped others run well. 

Saint Barnabas, pray for us. Amen. 

• Today’s Readings
  
  
• Father Boby's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
  
  
• To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)