Week 6: September 20, 2009

REVIEW Nghia Si Ca

Thanh Kinh A1: Hanh Trinh Thu Nhat (First Missionary Trip: The Commission of Paul & Barnabas)

Thanh The B1: Tham Du Thanh Le & Ruoc Le Moi Ngay (Attending Mass and Receiving Communion Daily)



First Missionary Trip- The Commission of Paul & Barnabas

Scripture Reading
Acts 13:1-14:27
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off.”

Faith / Fact Finding
1. Overview of the journey
Paul and Barnabas’s first missionary journey led them to the island of Cyprus, then Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia, all of Asia Minor, and establishing churches at Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.



2. Beginning of the first mission in Cyprus
The interlude to the first mission of Saul and Barnabas begins with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Their missionary journey led them first to the island of Cyprus where they preached in synagogues of the various cities. In Paphos they met the proconsul Sergius Paulus and a false prophet Elymas. Elymas attempted to turn the proconsul away from the faith and was eventually blinded by Saul. It is also here that Saul suddenly became known as Paul.
3. Preaching at Antioch in Pisidia
From Paphos, the missionary journey continues to Pamphylia and then Antioch in Pisidia. It is here that Paul preached the good news and the word of salvation that “through him (Jesus Christ) forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, [and] in regard to everything from which you could not be justified under the law of Moses.” (Acts 13:38)
4. Address to the Gentiles
Paul continued to preach the good news and forgiveness of sins based on Jesus’ resurrection in synagogues until the appearance of a large number of Gentiles filled the Jews with jealous and violence (Acts 13:45). It is here that Paul and Barnabas set out to address the Gentiles. This is the beginning of where God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
5. Paul and Barnabas at Iconium
Paul and Barnabas continued their missionary journey to Iconium. They spoke to both Jews and Greeks, but the people in this city were divided as the Jews were against their teachings. Paul and Barnabas were eventually driven out of the city by attempts from both the Jews and the Gentiles to attack and stone them.
5. Paul and Barnabas in Lystra
In Lystra, Paul cured a crippled man in an effort to convince his audience of the power of “the word.” However, due to pagan traditions of the people in this city, they were amazed and began to see Paul and Barnabas as gods. Ultimately some Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and convinced the crowds against them so they “stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city” (Act 14:20).
5. End of a missionary
From Lystra, Paul and Barnabas continued to Derbe. Here, they spread the good news and were able to proclaim many followers. They eventually returned to Lystra, Iconium and to Antioch where their teachings achieved believers from the Gentiles. At the end of their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas failed to sow the seeds of faith in the Jews, but it was a success amongst the Gentiles.

Case Study / Life Application
1. The first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. The Jews were God’s chosen people, yet it was the Gentiles (non-Jewish) who were opened to the teachings and word of the Lord. This missionary journey imposes the idea that the word of the Lord is for everyone, and not just the chosen, and salvation is for all who has faith.
2. The life of the late Pope John Paul II is similar to the first mission of Paul and Barnabas. He endeavored to spread the word of the Lord to many people of many race. Pope John Paul II was not only the first Polish Pope, but he was the first non-Italian Pope since the Dutch Pope Adrian VI in the 1520s. By the time he became Pope, he fluently spoke ten languages which includes Polish, Slovak, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Ukrainian and English. Aside from this, he also had a good knowledge of Ecclesiastical Latin. During his reign, he visited over 100 countries.
Like Paul and Barnabas, Pope John Paul II lived his life as a missionary to bring faith and the word of salvation to a vast number of people. Wherever he encountered rejections, such as abortion rights activists or anti-Catholic rallies, he maintained his position and pressed harder on his message of salvation, as did Paul and Barnabas when they were rejected by the Jews.
The mission of Paul and Barnabas, along with Pope John Paul II teaches us that faith is not just for the chosen, but for all those who believe.

Where Do You Stand?
1. As Catholics, we are called to spread the good news in our everyday life. Like Paul and Barnabas, have you attempted this commission in your life?
2. When you encounter rejections from non-believers or atheists, do you proceed and remain steadfast in your mission to spread the good news?
Summary
Paul and Barnabas setout to sped the word of the Gospel to Asia Minor on their first missionary journey. They began preaching in the synagogues of various cities but encountered much hostility from the Jews. They continued on their mission, but it was with the Gentiles that they were most successful in spreading the word of the Lord.

Prayer
Dear God, bless me with the courage like Paul and Barnabas to spread the word of the Gospel. Give me the strength to continue this mission in face of rejections for it is only in you that salvation can be found. Amen.

Homework
1. Where did Paul and Barnabas begin their first missionary journey?
2. What cities did the first missionary cover?
3. In what city did they first started preaching to the Gentiles?
4. What did Paul and Barnabas preach to the Gentiles?