Our Venerable Father Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of Saint Pachomius (364)
Read
Acts 15:35-41; John 10:27-38
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
What a helpful epistle today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles is. In these few verses, we encounter a sharp disagreement between the Holy Apostle Paul and his great friend and fellow worker in the Lord’s vineyard the Apostle Barnabas. These men are close, yet they fall out with one another. One goes one way, one the other. They disagree on how to continue the mission and they part company. This is a very human moment. We must recall that it was Barnabas who vouched for Paul before the rest of the disciples in Jerusalem after his conversion. It was Barnabas who travelled with Paul all around the southern coast of Asia Minor and Cyprus during that first missionary journey. Should they not have to overcome their differences and remained together? Couldn’t they have accomplished more that way? Perhaps, but it was not God’s will and so He allowed this breach to take place. In the end, both had their roles as apostles, Paul the greater and Barnabas the lesser, but they both faithfully served the Church as the Holy Spirit directed them and they both gave their lives as witnesses to Christ and His Gospel.
How do we handle disagreements when they arise in the church? Do we seek to hold on to people and not let them go their own way to pursue the vocation to which they are called? Or, do we humble ourselves, ask forgiveness, and do what we can to serve God and His Church as we are called to do? Let us remember the Apostles Paul and Barnabas. They were human beings just like us. They got mad at each other. Sometimes the apostles disagreed among themselves other times they were of one mind. Let us strive to recognize the gifts of all those with whom we are called to share the life in Christ. Let us be quick to put aside disagreements so that each in his or her own way may use the gifts they have been blessed with and so join with others in the service of God’s holy Church.