Saint Barnabas, Companion of Saint Paul

June 11th is the feast of Saint Barnabas, ranked as an “apostle” alongside Saint Paul (see Acts 14:14), although he was not one of the Twelve. He was an early member of the Church of Jerusalem, with Acts 4:36 identifying him as a Cypriot by birth, and as one of disciples who sold his land and laid the money at the feet of the apostles. When the newly converted Saul of Tarsus returned to Jerusalem and sought to convince the church that he had seen Christ and had become a believer, it was Barnabas who presented him to the apostles and vouched for the genuineness of Saul’s conversion. He later assisted Paul in several of the latter’s missionary journeys, including the earliest visits to Antioch. Though brief of detail, the scriptures give enough about him that we recognize him as a companion of Paul:

"The Church in Jerusalem...sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord. Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the Church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians" (Acts 11:22-26).