Words of Light and Hope from Tony Foottit
Words of Light and Hope from Tony Foottit. Comfrey – St Barnabas – 11th June. Comfrey is a good plant to associate with St. Barnabas, whose name means Son of comfort or encouragement. The name comfrey comes from the Latin conferre, meaning to bring together. The Latin name of the plant Symphytum is in fact Greek and means to unite in growth. Comfrey has lots of nectar in its tubular flowers and is beloved of insects. In days gone by comfrey was widely used in medicine for the treatment of broken bones, which is why another old English name for it is Knitbone. Barnabas was a great encourager and bringer-together. It was Barnabas who introduced Paul to the apostles after his conversion. Comfrey is full of protein. You can cook it like spinach. There is even a recipe for comfrey fritters. It is good to add it to your compost heap. Once on a missionary journey Paul and Barnabas had the young Mark with them. On this occasion Paul and Barnabas fell out because Paul wanted to send Mark home, since he thought he wasn’t up to the rigours ahead, but Barnabas took Mark’s side. Paul and Barnabas even parted company but Barnabas took Mark with him. He must have been a very supportive person – the sort we would all like to have for an uncle or a godfather……Without Barnabas’ support, Mark might never have written his gospel……Comfrey is a colonising plant. Given the right conditions it can spread very rapidly, so it is a good symbol for the missionary work of Barnabas. He is the founder of the Church in Cyprus, and he helped the early Church to spread round the eastern Mediterranean. From A Calendar of Wild Flowers (part).
Bountiful God, giver of all gifts, who poured your Spirit upon your servant Barnabas and gave him grace to encourage others: help us, by his example, to be generous in our judgements and unselfish in our service; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
