Barnabas File

When I visited Conception Abbey recently, I asked for an icon of St. Barnabas.  I was disappointed to learn that neither the book store nor the Printery House at the Abbey had such an item.  Barnabas, one of my favorite characters in the New Testament evidently does not get the respect he deserves! Why do I like Barnabas?  Because he exhibits all of the best characteristics of a Christian coach.  We can learn a lot from Barnabas and how he invested himself in others.  The man we know as Barnabas was originally named Joseph.  He was a Levite from Cyprus who became part of the church in Jerusalem.  Because of his unusual generosity, the apostles called him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement” or “son of exhortation” (Acts 4:36-37).  When Saul first appeared in Jerusalem after his conversion from persecutor to preacher, the members of the church were afraid of him. Barnabas became Saul’s advocate, bringing him to the apostles and v...