"for he was a good man"

"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."

Acts 11:23-24

A good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. 


In comparison to the way our world today would describe a "good" person, it appears that the book of Acts understates things quite a bit in its description of St. Barnabas (whose feast is celebrated today) as a good man. Of course he was a good man, but his actions in life were more than good - they were rooted in heroic love: the love of Christ, which led him to be martyred for his faith.

The way popular culture defines a "good" person typically has absolutely nothing to do with being filled with the Holy Spirit, or having any kind of faith. One can be considered a good person for many reasons, and none of them may have anything to do with the presence and action of God in one's life - and indeed, there are plenty of good people in the world today who would not claim any kind of relationship with God - but they are people of good will who are committed to good things. So, in the modern sense, people who are "filled with the Holy Spirit and faith" are much more than good. People who are "good" in the sense that St. Barnabas was good are more like saints-in-training - they are those who show us, and remind us of, the saving power of God here on earth.

For those of us who do believe, and who do claim that relationship with God, hopefully we are trying to be good people - in more than the modern sense - working to be good in the way that St. Barnabas was good.