Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Barnabas was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. The Church honors today the memory of St. Barnabas who, although referred to as an apostle, was not among the original twelve who were summoned by Jesus to be companions with him in mission. However, like Paul who also referred to himself as an apostle, albeit a lesser one, Barnabas earned the title “apostle” because of the work he accomplished. Barnabas was a Jew from Cyprus who was among the initial converts to Christianity following the preaching of the apostles (the twelve). It was Barnabas who introduced Paul to the other apostles after the latter’s conversion. He accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey and was part of the first Council of Jerusalem. After having converted many souls to Christ, he died in Cyprus during Nero’s reign. Tradition has it that he was stoned to death. 
Barnabas, as the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us, was a man filled with the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, his commissioning came from the Holy Spirit. It was a commissioning that thrust him into the very mission that Jesus had given to those who were to follow him, the mission about which we hear in today’s Gospel reading:  "As you go, preach the nearness of the Kingdom of heaven." The mission with which Jesus charged his disciples, in summary, is the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom. What can this possibly mean? What is the Kingdom? 
Pope Benedict XVI in  Jesus of Nazareth says that the phrase  "Kingdom" as used by Jesus is neither a place nor a thing but rather an  action word. It is a phrase that points to the active presence of God among the people, a presence that is hinged upon God's supreme sovereignty over the universe. In other words, the disciples were to go and proclaim that God is actively present to God's people. That was the easy part part. The hard part is that they were to plead God's case. Whereas it is true that God is present to God’s people, that presence must be felt in, and through the disciples. It is the work of the disciples to make this presence felt in the world. How were the disciples to do this? Through  curing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing those with virulent skin diseases, and driving out devils. The active presence of God can only be fully felt when there is fullness of life. The kingdom of God can only be felt when there is the fullness of life. And this is a charge given to the disciples of Jesus. Barnabas took upon himself this charge and by so doing earned himself the title of apostle. Do I proclaim the Kingdom of God? Or do I, by my way of life, preach the absence of God?