bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And while he was breaking the bread, he opened their eyes, that they might know him; and as soon as they had recognized him, he vanished out of their sight. His fifth appearance was at Jerusalem when several of the disciples were assembled in the evening, as Luke and John inform us, but Thomas was not among them. Jesus entered the place, although they had shut the doors ["for fear of the Jews"], shewed unto them his hands and his side, took a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb, and did eat before them. He then breathed on them, and said unto them: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." The sixth time that he appeared was after eight days, when Thomas saw him, and said: "My Lord and my God." The seventh time he shewed himself at the Sea of Tiberias, when seven of his disciples, who were fishing, saw him in the morning, after a night's toil, and ate bread and fish with him on the shore, after the miraculous draught of 153 fishes. The eighth time he appeared on a mountain in Galilee, according to Matthew; and when they saw him they worshipped him, but some doubted. He then said unto them: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." His ninth visit, Mark tells us, was when he appeared for the last time unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart. It is called the last time, because they were not to be with him any longer on the earth. His tenth appearance, as we read in the narrative of Mark and Luke, took place on the same day: the disciples saw him not here below, but as he was ascending into heaven, taken up in a cloud. Such was the number of times, that our Saviour is said in the writings of the evangelists, to have been seen of man before he ascended into heaven; that is to say, nine times on earth, and once as he rose through the air; but, as John says, all his acts are not recorded. And, indeed, they had many opportunities of being in company with him during the forty days that preceded his ascension,

although he did not remain with them throughout the whole time. John informs us that, between the first day of his resurrection and his next appearance, there was an interval of eight days. In this manner, appearing during those forty days, as often as he would, to whom he would, and as he would, he confirmed his disciples in the belief of his resurrection.1

CH. XX.

Christ's last appearances upon earth-His ascension-The eleven apostles-Matthias elected.

MARK' and Luke mention our Lord's two last appearances, and relate all that was said and done. We read in Mark that he upbraided the doubtful, for their hardness of heart, but said unto those who were strong in the faith: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." So then after the Lord Jesus had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. Moreover Luke at the end of his Gospel says: “And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." Again in the opening chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, he speaks of the ascension in these words: "And being assembled together with them, he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, 'ye have heard of me; for John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.' When they, therefore, were come together, they asked of him, saying: 'Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ?' And he said unto them: 'It is not for you to know the times or the seasons 1 Matt. xxviii. 16-20; Mark xvi. 12-19; Luke xxiv. 13-49; John xx. 19; xxi.

2 Mark xvi. 15-19; Luke xxiv. 50, 51.

which the Father hath put in his own power, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.' And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said: 'Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.' Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath-day's journey." There, as Luke testifies, these faithful disciples rejoiced greatly in the triumph. of their heavenly Master, continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, both in the temple and in an upper room, and waited with confidence for the promise of the Father, as Jesus had commanded them.1 All that they had heard him say was fully proved to them by the miracles which they saw performed before their own eyes. And, indeed, as they had often heard from his own lips that he should have to endure the most cruel sufferings during his passion, and that he should rise again in triumph on the third day; now they rejoiced to see the immortal Giver of life overcome the sharpness of death, and triumph because he is exalted above the heavens, and sits at the right hand of the Father. Angels also appeared in white apparel, and, addressing the men of Galilee, while filled with admiration they looked steadfastly toward heaven, pointed out to them the great joy both of angels and of men, and announced that Jesus would re-appear at the end of the world to judge all nations.2

Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James, who remained with the Lord Jesus unto the end, were called by him the salt of the earth and the light of the world; and justly so, for they despised this world, in order to follow his steps, and were rewarded by being appointed by God rulers 1 Luke xxiv. 52, 53; Act. Apost. i. 1—14.

Acts i. 10, 1).

and judges of the earth. When this venerable company was returned to Jerusalem, Peter, who was the first called and the greatest in dignity among the apostles, stood up in the midst of the disciples, who were about an hundred and twenty in number. He began his address to them by speaking of the fate of the traitor Judas, who, having hung himself between heaven and earth, burst asunder in the midst, and his bowels gushed out because he was unworthy of a place in either; this happened after he had purchased with the reward for betraying Christ, a field called "Aceldama," that is to say, The field of blood. He then reminded them that they were, as David had foretold, to ordain another apostle in his room, that he might take part in this heavenly ministry and apostleship. All, therefore, adopted the proposal of their president, and in order to complete the sacred number of the apostles they appointed two, Joseph, surnamed Justus, and Matthias; and they gave forth their lots, after Peter had offered up a prayer, which the rest confirmed, and the lot falling upon Matthias, he was numbered with the eleven apostles.'

In

These twelve apostles represent the hours of the day, and the twelve months of the entire year, and had been often signified long before in dark sayings of the prophets and patriarchs. They are held in reverence by all the nations of the faithful, and justly regarded as the senators of heaven, and the glorious princes of the church; because they are grafted as fruitful branches into Christ, the true vine. the Lord's field, they faithfully followed his steps among men, more especially by voluntary poverty; and having, as companions and partakers of the same mysteries, shone with the effulgence of miraculous powers, they now sit together on celestial thrones, the righteous judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. And as, while they were on earth, they had without ceasing contended for the prize set before them, and indefatigably laboured in the church, as Christ's faithful vicars and witnesses, so now they shine as his blessed co-heirs in heaven.

CH. XXI. Descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. XXI. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, and the faithful disciples were all with one accord in one place, at the third hour of the day, suddenly there came a sound from heaven, and the Holy Ghost descended in the form of tongues, like as of fire, and sat upon each of them, filling them with all wisdom and heavenly gifts. O how quick and skilful is the heavenly Artificer, the sweet and vivifying helper of those souls which desire his unction! This celestial fire, which did not consume, but illumine, came down to inflame fully the hearts of the disciples, and free them from the attractions of carnal pleasures, and from the dread of punishment. It suddenly taught them to speak with other tongues, strengthened their minds by authority, and raised them to the summit of virtue, against all the wiles of the enemy. The apostles spake of the wonderful works of God in divers tongues, so that strangers out of every nation under heaven were amazed that these Galileans, who had never quitted their native land, should speak so fluently in every language. The Jews, full of envy, and confounded by this miracle, and accustomed as they were to put a wrong construction upon the words and works of Christ, asserted that these men, who were showing forth the mighty works of God, were full of new wine, which made them talk like madmen. But Peter, who was indeed intoxicated with spiritual drink, rose up against these perfidious men, spoke to them the words of saving wisdom, treated eloquently of the incarnation, the passion, and the resurrection of Christ, and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, confounded the multitude of the malicious. As he had once smitten with the sword Malchus, and had cut off the ear of this servant of the high priest, so with the spiritual word of God he pierced the hearts of those who were carnally slaves to the letter of the Mosaic law, and commanded the neophytes to banish from their minds the recollection of the ancient ceremonies and observances. These same Jews who, shortly before, had so cruelly persecuted the Messiah to death, were exhorted by St. Peter, in a fervent address, to repent and to be baptized in