Obligation of all.

It is a great encouragement for a priest introducing children into the spiritual life to hear a remark from the lips of children: I have heard this before. My mother, father, brother or sister read it to me… Parents who reach for the Holy Scriptures in their children’s childhood are doing an excellent thing for their children’s faith. The child later understands that there are no fairy tales in Scripture, but truths essential for life. It is indeed encouraging when a young person regularly reaches for the Holy Scriptures, not only at bedtime as part of evening prayer, but can read from it occasionally and reflect on the statements and events he reads there. In a family where the Scriptures are not just an ornament on the bookshelf but are regularly picked up, an awareness of mature Christians is built up.

Such Christians become doers of the words of the Lord Jesus, “Go and preach: The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 10:7).

After due preparation, Jesus commissioned his disciples to proclaim his teachings. This mission consisted not only of speaking, but also in other manifestations. We know that the hands of the apostles did miracles and signs. Entering the Jerusalem temple at the gate called Beautiful, Peter and John healed a man lame from birth. Peter passes through towns and villages, and many are healed in his shadow (cf. Acts 5:12-18). And not only Peter but also Barnabas and others of the apostles and their successors, the disciples. This is how the Holy Spirit manifested Himself outwardly in the early centuries. In this way, the Church grew and grew strong. In the beginning, it was not only miracles; it was also respect for the other words of Christ: “Take neither gold nor silver nor money in your belts; neither take a pocket for your journey nor two coats…” (Mt 10:9)
We know that the early Christians behaved in a way that made the pagans talk about them: “Behold how they love one another.” They sold their possessions and divided them among the poor. Thus, not only in word but also in deed, they demonstrated their relationship to Christ. Of course, spreading the teachings of Christ was very important.

St. Barnabas goes to Antioch, where many believe in Christ. We know that he has a significant share at the beginning of the missionary activity of the Apostle to the Nations – Paul. Barnabas brings others into the teachings of Christ. These include – Simon’s surname Black, Lucius of Cyrene, and Managed, who was brought up with the tetrarch Herod (cf. Acts 13:1). For exemplary conduct toward what Jesus had entrusted to him, the evangelist Luke calls Barnabas “a good man” (cf. Acts 11:24).

A good man. How beautiful it sounds these days when parents hear after their son or daughter has completed his or her studies that they are conferring on them the degree of doctorate, master or engineer. Yes, there is a lot of work behind the degree-quiet, discreet… Despite our best efforts, we don’t all have that kind of degree. It is offered to all of us to receive from God a title similar to the one bestowed on St. Barnabas today by St. Luke.
How beautiful it is when parents hear a complimentary remark about their child: He is a truthful man, an honest girl, a man of character, a pure girl, a faithful man, and a caring mother. Even these titles require significant effort. A child does not learn to walk and talk at night during the day. Nor can character be educated, formed, or perfected in one day or night. And it is the Scriptures with their truths, their ever-living and addressing word, that leads us to the knowledge of the truth and meaning of life. Today, when we have an abundance of religious literature, we stop reading. Today, when the enemy of the Church in the form of laws and persecutions for religious expression are disappearing, our time is much worse. Today, religious liberalism is manifesting itself. Today, anyone can do anything under the guise of freedom. But today, there is an incredible ignorance of faith. Today, one criticizes and does not know what one is charging. The statements of the Pope and the bishops are condemned, and the appeals of the priests are scorned. But if they reflected on their attitude, they would find they are wrong.

He who does not know the Scriptures does not know Christ – St. Hieronymus, the first translator of the Holy Scriptures from the Oriental languages into Latin, pleads today, “He who does not know the Scriptures does not know Christ. Even today, signs and wonders are performed by the Word of God. They are no longer so suddenly visible, but they are and manifest themselves in the spiritual life. Raising a good son and a good daughter is a miracle. It is an excellent gift for the parents and the children themselves. Today, as we observe St. Barnabas, what he did to spread the teachings of Christ is a challenge to us. What are we doing in our neighborhood to make Christ even more visible, known, and lived?