Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
The event that took place in the Acts of the Apostles 11 happened in Palestine and Jerusalem. This is the story of the refugees who make their way into the new world, Antioch, the third-largest city of the Roman Empire and the capital of the province of Syria. The story took place more than two millennia ago, after the death of Stephen, a Christian, fleeing from Jerusalem. They carried the Gospel with them and initially preached only to the Jews. However, they later turned to the Gentiles in Antioch and began preaching the Gospel to them, marking the beginning of the mission to the Gentiles in Antioch.
Barnabas' journey to Antioch is part of the mission of the Gentiles. Barnabas joined the mission in Antioch in order to strengthen the mission to the Gentiles. So Barnabas' mission can be understood as a positive development of the mission in Antioch. The Barnabas dispatch shows how God can work in mysterious ways. It was the effect of persecution that led the Christians from Jerusalem to flee to Antioch, but the event ultimately led them to preach the Gospel to non-Jews. In other words, the most important event in the history of the Church was brought by early Christians who fled the prosecution. Indeed, God is working mysteriously, and let's continue to trust in Providence.