Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2024

Pentecost Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Mother Church's missionary efforts to convert men and nations to the true Faith, the very birthday of Holy Mother Church. The Paraclete or Advocate promised by Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ proceeds forth from His Co-Eternal Father and Himself on this day, fifty days after His Resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday and ten days following his glorious Ascension into Heaven on Ascension Thursday:

But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. You have heard that I said to you: I go away, and I come unto you. If you loved me, you would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father: for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it comes to pass: that when it shall come to pass, you may believe. I will not now speak many things with you. For the prince of this world cometh, and in me he hath not any thing. (John 14: 26-30)

The first bishops, headed by the Visible Head of the Church on earth, Saint Peter, became bold proclaimers of the Gospel of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ immediately following the descent of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, God the Holy Ghost, upon them and our dear Blessed Mother in tongues of flame in the same Upper Room in Jerusalem where Our Lord had instituted the priesthood and the Eucharist just fifty-three days before.

Dom Prosper Gueranger, O.S.B., explained the mystery of this great day of Holy Mother Church’s birth and that we must have a great love for Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’s spotless, mystical bride that is guided infallibly at all times by God the Holy Ghost, Who He sent with His Co-Equal, Co-Eternal God the Father on this very day. The great Abbot of Solsemes also stressed the fundamental importance of Our Lady on this day as she prayed for the infant Church that was about to offer the world a unity in the common language of Faith to undo the confuse of tongues that occurred at Babel. It is indeed quite ironic that most men alive today, including the conciliar officials, have rejected the unity of the Faith in favor of the of babble of Judeo-Masonry’s new world order.

Herewith is Dom Prosper Gueranger’s movingly profound explication of this great feast day:

The great day, which consummates the work that God had undertaken for the human race has, at last, shone upon the world. The days of Pentecost, as St. Luke says, are accomplished. We have had seven weeks since the Pasch; and now comes the day that opens the mysterious number of Fifty. This day is the Sunday, already made holy by the Creation of the Light, and by the Resurrection of Jesus; it is about to receive its final consecration and bring us to the fullness of God.

In the Old and figurative Law, God foreshadowed the glory that was to belong, at a future period, to the Fiftieth Day. Israel had passed the waters of the Red Sea, thanks to the protecting power of his Paschal Lamb! Seven weeks were spent in the Desert, which was to lead to the Promised Land; and the very morrow of those seven weeks was the day whereon was made the alliance between God and his people. The Pentecost (the Fiftieth Day) was honored by the promulgation of the ten commandments of the Divine Law; and every following year, the Israelites celebrated the great event by a solemn Festival. But their Pentecost was figurative, like their Pasch: there was to be a second Pentecost for all people, as there was to be a second Pasch for the Redemption of the whole world. The Pasch, with all its triumphant joys, belongs to the Son of God, the Conqueror of death: Pentecost belongs to the Holy Ghost, for it is the day whereon he began his mission into this world, which, henceforward, was to be under his Law.

But how different are the two Pentecosts? The one on the rugged rocks of Arabia, amidst thunder and lightning, promulgates a Law that is written on tablets of stone; the second is in Jerusalem, on which God’s anger has not as yet been manifested, because it still contains within its walls the first-fruits of that new people, over whom the Spirit of love is to reign. In this second Pentecost, the heavens are not overcast, nor is the roar of thunder heard; the hearts of men are not stricken with fear, as when God spake on Sinai; repentance and gratitude—these are the sentiments which are now uppermost. A divine fire burns within their souls, and will spread throughout the whole world. Our Lord Jesus had said: I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled? The hour for the fulfillment of this world is come: the Spirit of Love, the Holy Ghost, the eternal uncreated Flame, is about to descend from heaven, and realize the merciful design of our Redeemer.

Jerusalem is filled with pilgrims who have flocked thither from every country of the Gentile world: they feel a strange mysterious expectation working in their souls. They are Jews, and are come from every foreign land where Israel has founded a Synagogue; they are come to keep the feasts of Pasch and Pentecost. Asia, Africa, and even Rome, have here their representatives. Amidst these Jews properly so called, are to be seen many Gentiles, who, from a desire to serve God more faithfully, have embraced the Mosaic law and observances; they are called Proselytes. This influx of strangers, who have come to Jerusalem out of a desire to observe the Law, gives the City a Babel-like appearance, for each nation has its own language. They are not, however, under the influence of pride and prejudice, as are the inhabitants of Judea; neither have they, like these latter, known and rejected the Messias, nor blasphemed his works whereby he gave testimony of his divine character. It may be that they took part with the other Jews in clamoring for Jesus’ death, but they were led to it by the Chief Priests and Magistrates of the Jerusalem which they reverenced as the holy City of God, and to which nothing but religious motives have brought them.

It is the hour of Tierce—the third hour of the day (our nine o’clock)—fixed from all eternity for the accomplishment of a divine decree. It was at the hour of midnight that the Father sent into this world, that he might take flesh in Mary’s womb, the Son eternally begotten of himself: so now, at this hour of Tierce, the Father and Son send upon the earth the Holy Spirit who proceeds from them both. He is sent to form the Church, the Spouse and Kingdom of Christ; he is to assist and maintain her; he is to save and sanctify the souls of men; and this his Mission is to continue to the end of time.

Suddenly is heard, coming from heaven, the sound of a violent wind: it startles the people in the City, it fills the Cenacle with its mighty breath. A crowd is soon round the house that stands on Mount Sion; the hundred and twenty Disciples that are within the building feel that mysterious emotion within them, of which their Master once said: The Spirit breatheth where he will, and thou hearest his voice. Like that strange invisible creature which probes the very depth of the sea and makes the waves heave mountains high, this Breath from heaven will traverse the world from end to end, breaking down every barrier that would stay its course.

The holy assembly have been days in fervent expectation; the Divine Spirit gives them this warning of his coming, and they, in the passiveness of ecstatic longing, await his will. As to them that are outside the Cenacle, and have responded to the appeal thus given, let us, for the moment, forget them. A silent shower falls in the House; it is a shower of Fire, which, as holy Church says (in the Responsory for the Thursday within the Octave), “burns not, but enlightens—consumes not, but shines.” Flakes of fire, in the shape of tongues, rest on the heads of the hundred and twenty Disciples: it is the Holy Ghost taking possession of all and each. The Church is not not only in Mary, but also in these hundred and twenty Disciples. All belong now to the spirit that has descended upon them; his kingdom is begun, it is manifested, its conquests will be speedy and glorious.

But let us consider the symbol chosen to designate this divine change. He who showed himself under the endearing form of a Dove on the occasion of Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan, now appears under that of Fire. He is the Spirit of Love; and love is not only gentle and tender, it is also ardent as fire. Now, therefore, that the world is under the influence of the Holy Ghost, it must needs be on fire, and the fire shall not be checked. And why this form of Tongues? To show that the heavenly fire is to be spread by the word, by speech. These hundred and twenty Disciples need but to speak of the Son of God made Man, and our Redeemer; of the Holy Ghost, who renews our souls; of the heavenly Father, who loves and adopts us as his children;—their word will find thousands to believe and welcome it. Those that receive it shall all be united in one faith; they shall be called the Catholic Church, that is, universal, existing in all places and times. Jesus had said: Go, teach all nations!—the Holy Ghost brings from heaven both the tongue that is to teach, and the fire (the love of God and mankind), which is to give warmth and efficacy to the teaching. This Tongue and Fire are now given to these first Disciples, who, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, will transmit them to others: so will it be to the end of time.

An obstacle, however, opposes the mission at the very onset. Since the confusion at Babel, there have been as many languages as countries; communication by word has been interrupted. How, then, is the word to become the instrument of the world’s conquest, and make one family out of all these nations that cannot understand each other? Fear not: the Holy Spirit is all-powerful, and has provided for this difficulty. With the other gifts, wherewith he has enriched the hundred and twenty Disciples, he has given them that of understanding all languages, and of making themselves understood in every language. In a transport of holy enthusiasm, they attempt to speak the languages of all nations—their tongue and their ear take in, not only without effort, but even with charm and joy, this plenitude of word and speech which is to reunite mankind together. The spirit of love has annulled the separation of Babel; men are once more made Brethren by the unity of language.

How beautiful art thou, dear Church of our God! Heretofore, the workings of the Holy Ghost have been limited; but now, he breatheth freely where he willeth; he brings thee forth to the eyes of men by this stupendous prodigy. Thou art the image of what this earth was, when all its inhabitants spoke the same language. The prodigy is not to cease with the day of Pentecost, nor with the Disciples who are its first receivers. When the Apostles have terminated their lives and preaching, the gift of tongues, at least in its miraculous form, will cease, because no longer needed: but thou, O Church of Christ! wilt continue to speak all languages, even to the end of time, for thou art to dwell in every clime. The one same Faith is to be expressed in the language of every country; and thus transformed, the miracle of Pentecost is to be kept up forever within thee, as one of thy characteristic marks.

The great St. Augustine alluded to this when he spoke the following admirable words: “The whole body of Christ—the Church—now speaks in all tongues. Nay, I myself speak all tongues, for I am in the body of Christ, I am in the Church of Christ. If the body of Christ now speaks all languages, then am I in all languages. Greek is mine, Syriac is mine, Hebrew is mine, and all are mine, for I am one with all the several nations that speak them.” During the Ages of Faith, the Church (which is the only source of all true progress) succeeded in giving one common language to all the nations that were in union with her. For centuries, the Latin language was the bond of union between civilized countries. However distant these might be from one another, there was this link of connection between them; it was the medium of communication for political negotiations, for the spread of science, or for friendly epistolary correspondence. No one was a stranger in any part of the West, or even beyond it, who could speak this language. The great heresy of the 16th century robbed us of this as of so many other blessings; it dismembered that Europe which the Church had united, not only by her Faith, but by her language. But let us return to the Cenacle, and continue our contemplation of the wondrous workings of the Holy Spirit within this still closed sanctuary.

First of all, we look for Mary; for Her who now, more than ever, is full of grace. After those measureless gifts lavished upon her in her Immaculate Conception; after the treasures of holiness infused into her by the Incarnate Word during the nine months she bore him in her womb; after the special graces granted her for acting and suffering in union with her Son, in the work of the world’s Redemption; after the favors wherewith this same Jesus loaded her when in the glory of his Resurrection;—after all this, we should have thought that heaven had given all it could give to a mere creature, however sublime the destiny of that creature might be. But no. Here is a new mission opened for Mary. The Church is born; she is born of Mary. Mary has given birth to the Spouse of her Son; new duties fall upon the Mother of the Church. Jesus has ascended into heaven, leaving Mary upon the earth, that she may nurse the infant-Church. Oh! how lovely, and yet how dignified, is this infancy of our dear Church, cherished as she is, fed, and strengthened by Mary! But this second Eve, this true Mother of the living, must receive a fresh infusion of grace to fit her for this her new office: therefore it is that She has the first claim to, and the richest portion of, the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Heretofore, he overshadowed her and made her the Mother of the Son of God; now he makes her the Mother of the Christian people. It is the verification of those words of the Royal Prophet: The stream (literally, the impetuosity) of the river maketh the City of God joyful: the Most High hath sanctified his own Tabernacle. The Spirit of Love here fulfills the intention expressed by our Redeemer when dying on the Cross. Woman! said Jesus to her, behold thy Son! St. John was his son, and he represented all mankind. The Holy Ghost now infuses into Mary the plenitude of the grace needful for her maternal mission. From this day forward, she acts as Mother of the infant Church: and when, at length, the Church no longer needs her visible presence, this Mother quits the earth for heaven, where she is crowned Queen; but there too, she exercises her glorious title and office of Mother of men.

Let us contemplate this masterpiece of Pentecost, and admire the new loveliness that beams in Mary from this second Maternity. She is inflamed by the fire of divine love, and this in a way not felt before. She is all devoted to the office put upon her, and for which she has been left on earth. The grace of the Apostolate is granted to her. She has received the tongue of fire; and although her voice is not to make itself heard in public preaching, yet will she speak to the Apostles, directing and consoling them in their labors. She will speak, too, to the Faithful, but with a force, sweetness, and persuasiveness, becoming one whom God has made the most exalted of his creatures. The primitive Christians, with such a training as this, will have a vigor and an energy enough to resist all the attacks of hell, and like Stephen, who had often listened to her inspiring words, die Martyrs for the Faith.

Let us next look at the Apostolic College. The frequent instructions they have been receiving from their Lord, during the forty days after his Resurrection, have changed them into quite other men; but now that they have received the Holy Ghost, the change and conversion is complete. They are filled with the enthusiasm of faith; their souls are on fire with divine love; the conquest of the whole world—this is their ambition, and they know it is their mission. What their Master had told them is fulfilled: they are endued with Power from on high, and are ready for the battle. Who would suppose that these are the men who crouched with fear when their Jesus was in the hands of his enemies? Who would take these to be the men that doubted of his Resurrection? All that this beloved Master has taught them is now so clear to them! They see it all, they understand it all. The Holy Ghost has infused into them, and in a sublime degree, the gift of Faith; they are impatient to spread this Faith throughout the whole earth. Far from fearing, they even long to suffer persecution in the discharge of the office entrusted to them by Jesus—that of preaching his name and his glory unto all nations.

Look at Peter. You easily recognize him by that majestic bearing, which, though sweetly tempered by deep humility, bespeaks his pre-eminent dignity. A few hours ago, it was the tranquil gravity of the Head of the Apostolic College; now his whole face gleams with the flash of enthusiasm, for the Holy Ghost is now sovereign possessor of this Vicar of Christ, this Prince of the word, this master-teacher of truth. Near him are seated the other Apostles: Andrew, his elder brother, who now conceives that ardent passion for the Cross, which is to be his grand characteristic; John, whose meek and gentle eye now glistens with the fire of inspiration, betokening the Prophet of Patmos; James, the brother of John, and called, like him, the son of thunder, bears in his whole attitude the appearance of the future chivalrous conqueror of Iberia. The other James, known and loved under the name of Brother of Jesus, feels a fresh and deeper transport of joyousness as the power of the Spirit thrills through his being. Matthew is encircled with a glowing light, which points him out to us as the first writer of the New Testament. Thomas, whose faith was the fruit he took from Jesus’ Wounds, feels that faith now made perfect; it is generous, free, unreserved, worthy of the brave Apostle of the far East. In a word, all Twelve are a living hymn to the glory of the almighty Spirit, whose power is thus magnificently evinced even at the onset of his reign.

The Disciples, too, are sharers, though in a less degree than the Apostles, of the divine gifts; they receive the same Spirit, the same sacred Fire, for they too are to go forth, conquer the world, and found Churches. The holy Women also, who form part of the assembly of the Cenacle, have received the graces of this wondrous Descent of the Holy Ghost. It was a love that emboldened them to stand near the Cross of Jesus, and be the first to visit his Sepulcher on Easter morning; this love is now redoubled. A tongue of fire has stood over each of them, and the time will come when they will speak, with fervid eloquence, of Jesus, to both Jews and Gentiles. The Synagogue will banish Magdalene and her Companions: the Gentiles of our western Europe will receive them, and the world of these holy exiles will produce a hundredfold of fruit.

Meanwhile, a large crowd of Jews has collected round the mysterious Cenacle. Not only has the mighty wind excited their curiosity, but moreover, that same divine spirit, who is working such wonders upon the whole assembly within, is impelling them to visit the House, wherein is the new-born Church of Christ. They clamor for the Apostles, and these are burning with zeal to work; so too are all. At once, then, the crowd sees these men standing in its midst, and relating the prodigy that has been wrought by the God of Israel.

What is the surprise of this multitude, composed as it is of people of so many different nations, when these poor uneducated Galileans address them, each in the language of his own country? They have heard them speak before this, and they expected a repetition of the jargon now—when lo! there is the correct accent and diction of every country, and with such eloquence! The symbol of unity is here shown in all its magnificence. Here is the Christian Church, and it is One—One though consisting of such varied elements: the walls of division, which divine justice had set up between nation and nation, are now removed. Here also are the heralds of the Faith of Christ: they are ready for their grand mission; they long to traverse the earth, and save it by the word of their preaching.

But in the crowd, there are some who are shocked at witnessing this heavenly enthusiasm of the Apostles. These men, say they, are full of new wine! It is the language of rationalism, explaining away mystery by reason. These Galileans, these drunken men are, however, to conquer the whole world to Christ, and give the Holy Ghost, with his inebriating unction, to all mankind. The holy Apostles feel that it is time to proclaim the new Pentecost; yes, this anniversary of the Old is a fitting day for the New to be declared. But in this proclamation of the law of mercy and love, which is to supersede the law of justice and fear—who is to be the Moses? Our Emmanuel, before ascending into heaven, had selected one of the Twelve for the glorious office: it is Peter, the Rock on whom is built the Church. It is time for the Shepherd to show himself and speak, for the Flock is now to be formed. Let us hearken to the Holy Ghost, who is about to speak, by his chief organ, to this wonderful and attentive multitude. The Apostle, though he speaks in one tongue, is understood by each of his audience, no matter what his country and language may be. The discourse is, of its own self, a guarantee of the truth and divine origin of the new law.

The fisherman of Genesareth thus pours forth his wondrous eloquence: “Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and with your ears receive my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day: But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass, in the last days, saith the Lord, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And upon my servants indeed, and upon my handmaids will I pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy.’ Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you, by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him, in the midst of you, as you also know: This same being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you by the hands of wicked men have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of hell (the tomb), as it was impossible that he should be holden by it. For David saith concerning him: ‘My flesh shall rest in hope, because thou wilt not leave my soul in the tomb, nor suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.’ Ye men, brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David; that he died, and was buried; and his sepulcher is with us to this present day. Whereas therefore he was a Prophet, he spoke of the Resurrection of Christ; for neither was he ‘left in the Tomb,’ neither did his ‘flesh see corruption.’ This Jesus hath God raised again, whereof all we are witnesses. Being exalted therefore by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath poured forth this which you see and hear. Therefore let all the house of Israel know most certainly, that God hath made both Lord and Christ, this same Jesus, whom you have crucified.”

Thus did the second Moses promulgate the New Law. How must not his hearers have welcomed the stupendous gift of this new Pentecost, which put them in possession of the divine realities foreshadowed by that figurative one of old! Here again, it was God revealing himself to his creatures and, as usual, by miracles. Peter alludes to the wonders wrought by Jesus, who thus bore testimony of his being the Messias. He tells his audience that the Holy Ghost has been sent from heaven, according to the promise made to this Jesus by his Father: they have proof enough of the great fact, in the gift of tongues of which themselves are witnesses.

The Holy Spirit makes his presence and influence to be felt in the hearts of these favored listeners. A few moments previous, and they were disciples of Sinaï, who had come from distant lands to celebrate the bygone Pasch and Pentecost; now they have faith, simple and full faith, in Christ. They repent the awful crime of his Death, of which they have been accomplices; they confess his Resurrection and Ascension; they beseech Peter and the rest of the Apostles to put them in the way of salvation: Men and Brethren! say they, what shall we do? Better disposition could not be: they desire to know their duty, and are determined to do it. Peter resumes his discourse, saying: “Do penance, and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, whomsoever the Lord our God shall call.”

The Jewish Pentecost pales at each word of the new Moses; the Christian Pentecost manifests itself with clearer light. The reign of the Holy Ghost is inaugurated in Jerusalem, and under the very shadow of that Temple which is doomed to destruction. Peter continued his instructions; but the sacred volume has left us only these few words wherewith, probably, the Apostle made his final appeal to his hearers: “Save yourselves from this perverse generation!”

Yes, these children of Israel had to make this sacrifice, or they never could have shared in the graces of the new Pentecost;—they had to cut themselves off from their own people; they had to leave the Synagogue for the Church. There was a struggle in many a heart at that moment; but the Holy Spirit triumphed; three thousand declared themselves disciples of Christ, and received the mark of adoption in holy Baptism. Church of the living God! how lovely art thou in thy first reception of the divine Spirit! how admirable is thy early progress! Thy first abode was in the Immaculate Mary, the Virgin full of grace, the Mother of God; thy second victory gave thee the hundred and twenty Disciples of the Cenacle; and now, three thousand elect proclaim thee as their Mother and, leaving the unhappy Jerusalem, will carry thy name and kingdom to their own countries. Tomorrow, Peter is to preach in the Temple, and five thousand men will enroll themselves as Disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. Hail! then, dear creation of the Holy Ghost! Militant on earth; triumphant in heaven; beautiful, noble, immortal Church! all hail!—And thou, bright Pentecost! day of our truest birth! how fair, how glorious, thou makest these first hours of Jesus’ Spouse on earth! The Divine Spirit thou givest us has written, not upon stone but upon our hearts, the Law that is to govern us. In thee, O Pentecost! we find realized the hopes foreshadowed in the mystery of the Epiphany; for though thyself art promulgated in Jerusalem, yet thy graces are to be extended to all that are afar off, that is, to us Gentiles. The Magi came from the East; we watched them as they visited the Crib of the Divine Babe, for we knew that we too were to have our season of grace. It was thou, O Holy Spirit! that didst attract them to Bethlehem: and now, in this Pentecost of thy power, thou callest all men; the Star is changed into Tongues of Fire, and the face of the earth is to be renewed. Oh! grant that we may be ever faithful to the graces thou offerest us, and carefully treasure the Gifts sent us, with thee and through thee, by the Father and the Son!

The mystery of Pentecost holds so important a place in the Christian dispensation that we cannot be surprised at the Church’s ranking it, in her Liturgy, on an equality with her Paschal Solemnity. The Pasch is the redemption of man by the victory of Christ; Pentecost is the Holy Ghost taking possession of man redeemed. The Ascension is the intermediate mystery; it consummates the Pasch by placing the Man-God, the Conqueror of death, and our Head, at the right hand of the Father; it prepares the mission of the Holy Ghost to our earth. This mission could not take place until Jesus had been glorified, as St. John tells us; and there are several reasons assigned for it by the Holy Fathers. It was necessary that the Son of God—who, together with the Father, is the principle of the procession of the Holy Ghost in the divine essence—should also personally send this Divine spirit upon the earth. The exterior mission of one of the Three Persons is but the sequel and manifestation of the mysterious and eternal production which is ever going on within the Divinity. Thus the Father is not sent, either by the Son or by the Holy Ghost, because he does not proceed from them. The Son is sent to men by the Father, of whom it eternally begotten. The Holy Ghost is sent by the Father and the Son, because he proceeds from both. But in order that the mission of the Holy Ghost might give greater glory to the Son, there was a congruity in its not taking place until such time as the Incarnate Word should be enthroned at the right hand of the Father. How immense the glory of Human Nature, that it was hypostatically united to the Person of the Son of God when this mission of the Holy Ghost was achieved! and that we can say, in strict truth—the Holy Ghost was sent by the Man-God!

This divine Mission was not to be given to the Third Person until men were deprived of the visible presence of Jesus. As we have already said, the hearts of the Faithful were henceforward to follow their absent Redeemer by a purer and wholly spiritual love. Now, who was to bring us this new love, if not He who is the link of the eternal love of the Father and the Son? This Holy Spirit of love and union is called, in the Sacred Scriptures, the “Gift of God;” and it is on the day of Pentecost that the Father and Son send us this ineffable Gift. Let us call to mind the words spoken by our Emmanuel to the Samaritan Woman at the Well of Sichar: If thou didst know the Gift of God! He had not yet been given he had not yet been manifested, otherwise than in a partial way. From this day forward, he inundates the whole earth with his Fire, he gives spiritual life to all, he makes his influence felt in every place. We know the Gift of God; so that we have but to open our hearts to receive him, as did the three thousand who listened to St. Peter’s sermon.

Observe, too, the Season of the Year, in which the Holy Ghost comes to take possession of his earthly kingdom. Our Jesus, the Sun of Justice, arose in Bethlehem in the very depth of winter; humble and gradual was his ascent to the zenith of his glory. But the Spirit of the Father and the Son came in the Season that harmonizes with his own divine characteristic. He is a consuming Fire; he comes into the world when summer is in his pride, and sunshine decks our earth with loveliest flowers. Let us welcome the life-giving heat of the Holy Ghost, and earnestly beseech him that it may ever abide within us. The Liturgical Year has brought us to the full possession of Truth by the Incarnate Word; let us carefully cherish the Love which the Holy Ghost has now enkindled within our hearts. (Dom Prosper Gueranger, O.S.B., The Liturgical Year.)

The Church's great zeal to seek with urgency the conversion of all non-Catholics to the true Church, outside of which there is no salvation and without which there can be no true social order, thus began on Pentecost Sunday and continued unabated until the ethos of the dark clouds of conciliarism, which emanated from spirits that are not so holy, began to hover over the life of Catholics from the 1960s to the present day. There is no way to reconcile the refusal of the false "popes" of the counterfeit church of conciliarism to seek, no less their prohibition on ordinary Catholics to seek, the conversion of those steeped in the errors of Protestantism and Orthodoxy and Judaism and other false religions with the fidelity the Church exhibited from Pentecost Sunday until the false pontificate of Angelo Roncalli/ John XXIII.

The Apostles sought to effect the conversion of Jews and Gentiles alike to Catholicism. The Acts of the Apostles records this zeal for souls, a zeal that stands in stark contrast to the belief, expressed both in words and actions, of the conciliar "pontiffs" that those in false religions have no need to seek to be Catholic to save their souls.

The late Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II urged the followers of "Brother" Roger Schutz in Taize, France, in 1996 to be "faithful" to their denominational traditions, which begs the following question: If heretics and schismatics must be faithful to their false "traditions," why can't Catholics be faithful to theirs?

Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI said Schutz, who never converted to the true Faith, had attained "eternal joy" following the latter's murder by a devoted follower in 2005 (Benedict Mourns Murder of Taizé's Brother Roger).

The Assisi events of 1986, 2002, 2011, and 2016 would have been condemned by the Apostles as an exercise in idol worship.

So would Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI's reception of symbols of false religions at the "Pope" John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, District of Columbia, on Thursday, April 17, 2008, and the countless number of apostate acts visited upon the world in the past sixty-two months, twenty-seven days by Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

So would each of the praise given to mosques by each of the past three conciliar "popes," each of whom has said that false religions can be instruments in the building of the "better world."

So would Jorge Mario Bergoglio's act of apostasy in being "blessed" by Protestant "clergymen" when he was the conciliar "archbishop" of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2006, and his calling Protestant clergyman his brother "bishops" and that they are part of the one true Church.

So would Bergoglio’s praise given to adherents of false religions and to their nonexistent ability to "contribute" to a "better world."

Bergoglio has created his own legend of egregious apostate acts, including his trip to the Holy Land three years ago now and his infamous "prayer for peace" love-in held on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2014, in the Vatican Gardens (see On the Road to Gehenna With Jorge, Abe and Omar, part one, Inspired by the Same Scriptwriter, On the Road to Gehenna with Jorge, Abe and Omar, part two, On the Road to Gehenna with Jorge, Abe and Omar, part three, On the Road to Gehenna with Jorge, Abe and Omar, part four (the end, at last), Antichrist and His Anti-Pentecost and Antichrist Has Shown Us His Calling Card? Do You Care?) in addition to his infamous anti-apostolic work of an agent of Antichrist he concocted with a Mohammedan unholy man in 2019 (see  Jorge Signs Off on the One World Ecumenical Religion).

The Apostles and the many millions of martyrs for the Faith who followed them preferred death than to do anything that even appeared to betray the Faith, no less praise the practitioners of false religions.

Most of the first fifteen or so chapters in The Acts of the Apostles deals directly with the efforts of the Apostles to preach the Gospel so as to win converts for the true Faith. Let the Holy Ghost, under Whose inspiration the Bible was written, speak for Himself in the fifth book of the New Testament, which was written by Saint Luke:

And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak. Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

And when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded in mind, because that every man heard them speak in his own tongue. And they were all amazed, and wondered, saying: Behold, are not all these, that speak, Galileans? And how have we heard, every man our own tongue wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews also, and proselytes, Cretes, and Arabians: we have heard them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all astonished, and wondered, saying one to another: What meaneth this? But others mocking, said: These men are full of new wine. But Peter standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke to them: Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and with your ears receive my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day:

But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass, in the last days, (saith the Lord,) I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And upon my servants indeed, and upon my handmaids will I pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will shew wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath: blood and fire, and vapour of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord come.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you, by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him, in the midst of you, as you also know: This same being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you by the hands of wicked men have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of hell, as it was impossible that he should be holden by it. For David saith concerning him: I foresaw the Lord before my face: because he is at my right hand, that I may not be moved.

For this my heart hath been glad, and any tongue hath rejoiced: moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, nor suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life: thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Ye men, brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David; that he died, and was buried; and his sepulchre is with us to this present day. Whereas therefore he was a prophet, and knew that God hath sworn to him with an oath, that of the fruit of his loins one should sit upon his throne.

Foreseeing this, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ. For neither was he left in hell, neither did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised again, whereof all we are witnesses. Being exalted therefore by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath poured forth this which you see and hear. For David ascended not into heaven; but he himself said: The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy enemies thy footstool.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know most certainly, that God hath made both Lord and Christ, this same Jesus, whom you have crucified. Now when they had heard these things, they had compunction in their heart, and said to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles: What shall we do, men and brethren? But Peter said to them: Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, whomsoever the Lord our God shall call. And with very many other words did he testify and exhort them, saying: Save yourselves from this perverse generation.

They therefore that received his word, were baptized; and there were added in that day about three thousand souls. And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles, and in the communication of the breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: many wonders also and signs were done by the apostles in Jerusalem, and there was great fear in all. And all they that believed, were together, and had all things common. Their possessions and goods they sold, and divided them to all, according as every one had need.

And continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they took their meat with gladness and simplicity of heart; Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord increased daily together such as should be saved.  (Acts 2: 1-47)

The first pope, Saint Peter, spoke a little differently than did Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II in 1986 when he visited a synagogue in Rome. He spoke a little differently than did Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI when he spoke in a synagogue in Cologne, Germany, on Friday, August 19, 2005, or in the City of New York, New York, on Friday, April 18, 2008, and acted a little differently than Jorge Mario Bergoglio has done by reading prayers from the blasphemous Talmud and writing formally in Evangelii Gaudium, November 25, 2013, that the Old Covenant was still valid, and by hiding his pectoral cross under his fascia as he met with two rabbis in Jerusalem on May 31, 2014.

By saying that the counterfeit church of conciliarism is committed to "tolerance, respect, friendship and peace between all peoples, cultures and religions" the conciliar "popes," including Jorge Mario Bergoglio, have taught us that all active proselytizing of those outside of her ranks must be avoided. And what is this nonsense about a "theological evaluation of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity"? Our Lord has revealed Himself to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. End of evaluation. People either accept Him as He has revealed Himself through His true Church or they do not. Period. (See Saint Peter and Anti-Peter.)

Saint Peter did not believe that any "evaluation" had to take place before he preached to the Jews to urge them to convert to Catholicism. Prompted by the immediate indwelling of God the Holy Ghost upon his soul, Saint Peter proclaimed the Gospel out of fidelity to the Divine Master and out of true love for the salvation of the souls of his own Jewish brethren. There was no ambiguous call for "the conversion of Israel." There was simply a call for individual mean to "do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the Holy Ghost." There was nothing ambiguous about the Apostles. They were willing to suffer everything, including death itself, to proclaim the Name of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the midst of a hostile world.

Chapter 5 of The Acts of the Apostles records the aftermath of Saint Peter's curing of a lame man: 

And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. But of the rest no man durst join himself unto them; but the people magnified them. And the multitude of men and women who believed in the Lord, was more increased: Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that when Peter came, his shadow at the least, might overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from their infirmities.

And there came also together to Jerusalem a multitude out of the neighboring cities, bringing sick persons, and such as were troubled with unclean spirits; who were all healed. Then the high priest rising up, and all they that were with him, (which is the heresy of the Sadducees,) were filled with envy. And they laid hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. But an angel of the Lord by night opening the doors of the prison, and leading them out, said: Go, and standing speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Who having heard this, early in the morning, entered into the temple, and taught. And the high priest coming, and they that were with him, called together the council, and all the ancients of the children of Israel; and they sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the ministers came, and opening the prison, found them not there, they returned and told, Saying: The prison indeed we found shut with all diligence, and the keepers standing before the doors; but opening it, we found no man within. Now when the officer of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were in doubt concerning them, what would come to pass. But one came and told them: Behold, the men whom you put in prison are in the temple standing, and teaching the people.

Then went the officer with the ministers, and brought them without violence; for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, Saying: Commanding we commanded you, that you should not teach in this name; and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and you have a mind to bring the blood of this man upon us. But Peter and the apostles answering, said: We ought to obey God, rather than men. The God of our fathers hath raised up Jesus, whom you put to death, hanging him upon a tree.

Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. And we are witnesses of these things and the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to all that obey him. When they had heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they thought to put them to death. But one in the council rising up, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, respected by all the people, commanded the men to be put forth a little while. And he said to them: Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do, as touching these men.

For before these days rose up Theodas, affirming himself to be somebody, to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all that believed him were scattered, and brought to nothing. After this man, rose up Judas of Galilee, in the days of the enrolling, and drew away the people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as consented to him, were dispersed. And now, therefore, I say to you, refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this council or this work be of men, it will come to nought; But if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest perhaps you be found even to fight against God. And they consented to him. And calling in the apostles, after they had scourged them, they charged them that they should not speak at all in the name of Jesus; and they dismissed them.

And they indeed went from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus. And every day they ceased not in the temple, and from house to house, to teach and preach Christ Jesus.  (Acts 5: 12-42) 

Yes, the Apostles rejoiced because there were deemed worthy to "suffer reproach for the name of Jesus."

Which one of the conciliar "bishops" today is willing to suffer reproach for the Holy Name of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?

Which one of the conciliar "bishops" bishops today is willing to preach the Gospel to those who deny the Sacred Divinity of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and who are in steeped in the darkness of the Talmud? Jorge Mario Bergoglio?

Which one of the conciliar "bishops" today exhibits any degree of apostolic zeal for the salvation of the souls of the very people from whom Our Lord took His Sacred Humanity, whose conversion to the Faith Saint Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Romans is an important sign of end times (which means, obviously, that we're not quite there right now)? Which one of the conciliar "popes" or "bishops" has spoken to the children of Abraham and Moses as Saint Stephen, the Church's Protomartyr, spoke just before his martyrdom?

And Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people. Now there arose some of that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke.

Then they suborned men to say, they had heard him speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the ancients, and the scribes; and running together, they took him, and brought him to the council. And they set up false witnesses, who said: This man ceaseth not to speak words against the holy place and the law. For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the traditions which Moses delivered unto us. And all that sat in the council, looking on him, saw his face as if it had been the face of an angel

Then the high priest said: Are these things so? Who said: Ye men, brethren, and fathers, hear. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charan. And said to him: Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then he went out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charan. And from thence, after his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein you now dwell. And he gave him no inheritance in it; no, not the pace of a foot: but he promised to give it him in possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

And God said to him: That his seed should sojourn in a strange country, and that they should bring them under bondage, and treat them evil four hundred years. And the nation which they shall serve will I judge, said the Lord; and after these things they shall go out, and shall serve me in this place. And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so he begot Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob; and Jacob the twelve patriarchs. And the patriarchs, through envy, sold Joseph into Egypt; and God was with him, And delivered him out of all his tribulations: and he gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharao, the king of Egypt; and he appointed him governor over Egypt, and over all his house.

Now there came a famine upon all Egypt and Chanaan, and great tribulation; and our fathers found no food. But when Jacob had heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent our fathers first: And at the second time, Joseph was known by his brethren, and his kindred was made known to Pharao. And Joseph sending, called thither Jacob, his father, and all his kindred, seventy-five souls. So Jacob went down into Egypt; and he died, and our fathers.

And they were translated into Sichem, and were laid in the sepulchre, that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Hemor, the son of Sichem. And when the time of the promise drew near, which God had promised to Abraham, the people increased, and were multiplied in Egypt, Till another king arose in Egypt, who knew not Joseph. This same dealing craftily with our race, afflicted our fathers, that they should expose their children, to the end they might not be kept alive. At the same time was Moses born, and he was acceptable to God: who was nourished three months in his father's house.

And when he was exposed, Pharao's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and in his deeds. And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And when he had seen one of them suffer wrong, he defended him; and striking the Egyptian, he avenged him who suffered the injury. And he thought that his brethren understood that God by his hand would save them; but they understood it not.

And the day following, he shewed himself to them when they were at strife; and would have reconciled them in peace, saying: Men, ye are brethren; why hurt you one another? But he that did the injury to his neighbour thrust him away, saying: Who hath appointed thee prince and judge over us? What, wilt thou kill me, as thou didst yesterday kill the Egyptian? And Moses fled upon this word, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begot two sons. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the desert of mount Sina, an angel in a flame of fire in a bush.

And Moses seeing it, wondered at the sight. And as he drew near to view it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying: I am the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses being terrified, durst not behold. And the Lord said to him: Loose the shoes from thy feet, for the place wherein thou standest, is holy ground. Seeing I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, and I will send thee into Egypt. This Moses, whom they refused, saying: Who hath appointed thee prince and judge? him God sent to be prince and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

He brought them out, doing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the desert forty years. This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel: A prophet shall God raise up to you of your own brethren, as myself: him shall you hear. This is he that was in the church in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on mount Sina, and with our fathers; who received the words of life to give unto us. Whom our fathers would not obey; but thrust him away, and in their hearts turned back into Egypt, Saying to Aaron: Make us gods to go before us. For as for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.

And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. And God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven, as it is written in the books of the prophets: Did you offer victims and sacrifices to me for forty years, in the desert, O house of Israel? And you took unto you the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Rempham, figures which you made to adore them. And I will carry you away beyond Babylon. The tabernacle of the testimony was with our fathers in the desert, as God ordained for them, speaking to Moses, that he should make it according to the form which he had seen. Which also our fathers receiving, brought in with Jesus, into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David.

Who found grace before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him a house. Yet the most High dwelleth not in houses made by hands, as the prophet saith: Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What house will you build me? saith the Lord; or what is the place of my resting? Hath not my hand made all these things?

You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who foretold of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord ran violently upon him. And casting him forth without the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death. (Acts 6: 8-15; 7: 1-59)

We have not only witnessed a refusal of the conciliar "popes" and "bishops" to speak at Saint Stephen spoke. We have witnessed them consorting with pro-abortion rabbis without once condemning their support of baby-killing, no less seeking their conversion to the true Faith (see Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI with the "papal knight," Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Friday, April 18, 2008, April 18, 2008 - 5 p.m. - Park East Synagogue Windows media format.) We have witnessed them bestowing papal honors upon pro-abortion rabbis (see Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, "Archbishop" Donald Wuerl and "Bishop" Tod Brown). Let's put it to you this way: when was the last time you heard a conciliar "pope" or a "cardinal" or a "bishop" refer to the miraculous conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne from Judaism to Catholicism when Our Lady appeared to him as she appears on the Miraculous Medal that he, Ratisbonne, once mocked?

The story of Alphonse Ratisbonne is remarkable because it was effected by Our Lady herself, who was in the Upper Room in Jerusalem on Pentecost Sunday as the Apostles left to start the missionary work of the infant Church. Ratisbonne, who became a priest, wrote: 

"I had come out of a dark pit, out of a tomb...and I was alive, completely alive. I thought of my brother Theodore with inexpressible joy. But how I wept as I thought of my family, of my fiancee, of my poor sisters. I wept indeed, as I thought of them whom I so loved and for whom I said the first of my prayers. Will you not raise your eyes to the Savior shoe blood blots out original sin? Oh! How hideous is the mark of this taint, and how does it alter beyond recognition the creature made in God's own likeness!"

When priests wanted to delay his Baptism for a time, Alphonse Ratisbonne said:

"The Jews who heard the preaching of the Apostles were baptized immediately, and you want to put me off, after I have 'heard' the preaching of the Queen of the Apostles?"

There you have it. Alphonse Ratisbonne knew that Our Lady wanted him to be converted out of Judaism in imitation of what happened on Pentecost Sunday and thereafter by the working of God the Holy Ghost. What's wrong with the conciliar "popes" and "bishops?" The loss of the Catholic Faith. Isn't this obvious? God the Holy Ghost does not change His mind. He is God. He does not contradict Himself. The preaching of Saint Peter on Pentecost Sunday cannot be valid then and not valid now. It is valid for all eternity. Only formal apostates reject the timeless nature of the work of the Apostles to convert souls.

The aftermath of Ratisbonne's conversion to the true Faith was recounted in his own words as follows:

(On February 18th and 19th, in the deposition he made during the investigative process set up to make clear the circumstances of his conversion. Ratisbonne stated the following among other things.)

"When I traversed the church, I arrived at the spot where they were getting ready for the funeral. Suddenly I felt interiorly disturbed, and saw in front of me something like a veil. It seemed to me that the entire church had been swallowed up in shadow, except one chapel. It was as thought all the light was concentrated in that single place. I looked over towards this chapel whence so much light shone and above the altar I saw a living figure standing, tall, majestic, beautiful and full of mercy. It was the most Holy Virgin Mary, resembling her figure on the Miraculous Medal of the Immaculate. At this sight I fell on my knees right where I stood; several times I attempted to lift my eyes towards the Most Blessed Virgin, but respect and the blinding light forced me to lower my gaze; this, however, did not prevent me from seeing the luminosity of the apparition. I fixed my glance on her hands, and in them I could read the expression of mercy and pardon. In the presence of the most Blessed Virgin, even though she did not speak a word to me, I understood the frightful situation I was in, the heinousness of sin, the beauty of the Catholic religion . . . in a word, I understood everything.

"When he returned, M. de Bussieres found me kneeling, my head resting on the railing of the chapel where the most Blessed Virgin had appeared, and bathed in tears. I do not understand how I managed to get to the railing, because I had fallen to my knees on the other side of the nave, and the catafalque stood between me and the chapel. I must add that the feeling that accompanied my weeping was one of gratitude towards the Blessed Virgin and of pity for my family, buried in the darkness of Judaism, for heretics and for sinners. M. de Bussieres raised me up and, still weeping, I told him, 'Oh, that person must have prayed very much for me,' thinking of the deceased Count de Laferronays. [Father Kolbe note: "M. de Bussieres had in fact recommended Ratisbonne to the prayers of M. de Laferronays."]

"He asked me several questions, but I could not answer, so deeply was I moved. So he took me by the hand, led me out of the church to the carriage and helped me to get in. Then he asked me where I wanted to go.

"Take me wherever you like," I said, "after what I have seen, I will do anything you want."

"'But what did you see?' he asked me.

"I cannot tell you; but please bring me to a confessor, and I will tell him everything on my knees."

"He brought me to the church of the Gesu, to a Jesuit, Father Villefort, to whom in the presence of M. de Bussieres, I related all that had happened to me."

(In his letter he continues.)

"All I can say of myself comes down to this: that in an instant a veil fell from my eyes; or rather not a single veil, but many of the veils which surrounded me were dissipated one after the other, like snow, mud and ice under the burning rays of the sun. I felt as though I were emerging from a tomb, from a dark grave; that I was beginning to be a living being, enjoying a real life. And yet I wept. I could see into the depths of my frightful misery, from which infinite mercy had liberated me. My whole being shivered at the sight of my transgressions; I was shaken, overcome by amazement and gratitude. I thought of my brother with indescribable joy; and to my tears of love there were joined tears of compassion. How many persons in this world, alas, are going down unknowingly into the abyss, their eyes shut by pride and indifference!They are being swallowed up alive by those horrifying shadows; and among them are my family, my fiancee, my poor sisters. What a bitter thought! My mind turned to you, whom I love so much; for you I offered my first prayers. Will you some day raise your eyes towards the Savior of the world, whose blood washed away original sin? How monstrous is the stain of that sin, because of which man no longer bears the resemblance to God!

"They asked me now I had come to know these truths, since they all knew that I had never so much as opened a book dealing with religion, head not even read a single page of the Bible, while the dogma of original sin, entirely forgotten or denied by modern Jews, had never occupied my mind for a single instant. I am no sure that I had even heard its name. So how had I come to know these truths? I cannot tell' all I know is that when I entered the church, I was ignorant of all this, whereas when I left I could see it all with blinding clarity. I cannot explain this change except by comparing myself to a man who suddenly awakens from deep sleep or to someone born blind who suddenly acquires sight. He sees, even though he cannot describe his sensations or pinpoint what enlightens him and makes it possible for him to admire the things around him. If we cannot adequately explain natural light, how can we describe a light the substance of which is truth itself? I think I am expressing myself correctly when I say that I did not have any verbal knowledge, but had come to possess the meaning and spirit of the dogmas, to feel rather than see these things, to experience them with the help of the inexpressible power which was at work within me.

"The love of God had taken the place of all other loves, to such an extent that I loved even my fiancee, but in a different way. I loved her like someone whom God held in his hands, like a precious gift which inspires an even greater love for the giver."

(As they wanted to delay his Baptism, Ratisbonne pleaded.)

"What? The Jews who heard the preaching of the apostles were baptized at once; and you wish to delay Baptism for me who have heard the Queen of the apostles?"

"My emotion, my ardent desires and my prayers finally induced these good men to fix a date for my Baptism. I awaited the appointed day with impatience, because I realized how displeasing I was in the eyes of God.

(Finally the 31st of January came. He described his Baptism.)

"Immediately after Baptism I felt myself filled with sentiments of veneration and filial love for the Holy Father; I considered myself fortunate when I was told that I would be granted an audience with the Pontiff, accompanied by the General of the Jesuits. In spite of all this I was quite nervous, because I had never frequented the important people of this world; although these important people seemed to me too insignificant when compared to true grandeur. I must confess that I included among these great ones of the world the one who on this earth holds God's highest power, i.e., the pope, the successor of Jesus Christ himself, whose indestructible chair he occupies.

"Never will I forget my trepidation and the beatings of my heart when I entered the vatican and traversed the spacious courtyards and majestic halls leading to the sacred premises where the pope resides. When I beheld him, though, my nervousness suddenly gave way to amazement. He was so simple, humble and paternal. This was no monarch, but a father who with unrestrained love treated me like a cherished son.

"O good God! Will it be thus when I appear before you to give you an account of the graces I hare received? Awe fills me at the mere thought of God's greatness, and I tremble before his justice; but at the sight of his mercy my confidence revives, and with confidence so will my love and unbounded gratitude.

"Yes, gratitude will from now on be my law and my life . I cannot express it in words; so I shall strive to do so in deeds. The letters received from my family give me full liberty; I wish to consecrate this liberty to God, and I offer it to him from this very moment, along with my whole life, to serve the Church and my brothers under the protection of the most Blessed Virgin Mary." (Father Anselm W. Romb, OFM Conv., Commentator and Editor, The Writings of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv.: The Kolbe Reader, pp. 22-31.)

Pope Pius XII wrote approvingly of the zeal for the conversion of souls that prompted the missionaries of the First Millennium and thereafter to Christianize Europe by bringing all souls into the Barque of Saint Peter. Writing in Evangeli Praecones, June 2, 1951, Pope Pius noted:

Likewise all know that the Gospel followed the great Roman roads and was spread not only by Bishops and priests but also by public officials, soldiers and private citizens. Thousands of Christian neophytes, whose names are today unknown, were fired with zeal to promote the new religion they had embraced and endeavored to prepare the way for the coming of the Gospel. That explains why after about 100 years Christianity had penetrated into all the chief cities of the Roman Empire.

St. Justinus, Minucius Felix, Aristides, the consul Acilius Glaber, the patrician Flavius Clemens, St. Tarsicius and countless holy martyrs of both sexes, who strengthened and enriched the growth of the Church by their labors and the shedding of their blood, can in a certain sense be called the advance guard and forerunners of Catholic Action. Here We wish to cite the striking observation of the author of the letter to Diognetus,which even today has a message for us: "Christians dwell in their native countries as though aliens; . . . every foreign land is their home and the land of their birth is foreign soil."

During the barbarian invasions of the Middle Ages, we see men and women of royal rank and even workmen and valiant Christian women of the common people using every endeavor to convert their fellow citizens to the religion of Jesus Christ and to fashion their morals according to its pattern, so as to safeguard both religion and the state from approaching danger. Tradition tells us that when our immortal Predecessor, Leo the Great, courageously opposed Attila, when he invaded Italy, two Roman consuls stood by his side. When formidable hordes of Huns were besieging Paris, the holy virgin Genevieve, who was given to a life of continuous prayer and austere penance, cared for the souls and bodies of her fellow citizens with wondrous charity. Theodolinda, Queen of the Lombards, zealously summoned her people to embrace the Christian religion. King Reccaredus of Spain endeavored to rescue his people from the Arian heresy and to lead them back to the true Faith. In France, there were not only bishops, such as Remigius of Rheims, Caesarius of Arles, Gregory of Tours, Eligius of Noyon and many others, who were eminent for virtue and apostolic zeal, but queens also can be found during that period who taught the truths of Christianity to the untutored masses and who gave food and shelter and renewed strength to the sick, the hungry and the victims of every human misfortune. For example, Clotilda so influenced Clovis in favor of the Catholic religion that she had the great joy of bringing him into the true Church. Radegunda and Bathilda cared for the sick with supreme charity and even restored lepers to health. In England, Queen Bertha welcomed St. Augustine when he came to evangelize that nation and earnestly exhorted her husband Ethelbert to accept the teachings of the Gospel. No sooner had the Anglo-Saxons, of both high and low degree, men and women, young and old, embraced the Christian faith, than they were led as though by divine inspiration to unite themselves to this Apostolic See by the closest bonds of piety, fidelity and devotion.

In Germany, we witness the admirable spectacle of St. Boniface and his companions traversing those regions in their apostolic journeys and making them fruitful by their generous labors. The sons and daughters of that valiant and noble land felt inspired to offer their efficient collaboration to monks, priests and Bishops in order that the light of the Gospel might be daily more widely diffused throughout those vast regions and that Christian doctrine and Christian virtue might ever make greater advances and reap a rich harvest of souls.

Thus in every age, thanks to the tireless labors of the clergy and also to the cooperation of the laity, the Catholic Church has not only advanced its spiritual kingdom, but has also led nations to increased social prosperity. Everybody knows the social reforms of St. Elizabeth in Hungary, of St. Ferdinand in Castile and of St. Louis IX in France. By their holy lives and zealous labors they brought about salutary improvement in the different classes of society by instituting reforms, by spreading the true faith everywhere, by valiantly defending the Church and above all by their personal example. Nor are We unaware of the excellent merits of the guilds during the Middle Ages. In these guilds artisans and skilled workers of both sexes were enrolled, who, notwithstanding the fact that they lived in the world, kept their eyes fixed upon the sublime ideal of evangelical perfection. Not only did they eagerly pursue this ideal, but together with the clergy they exerted every effort to bring all others to do the same. (Pope Pius XII, Evangeli Praecones, June 2, 1951.) 

The work of the Apostles is the work of seeking the conversion of all men and of all nations to the true Faith. All men. Everywhere. At all times. Without exception. Protestants must convert. Jews must convert. Mormons must convert. Seventh Day Adventists must convert. Jehovah's Witnesses must convert. Buddhists must convert. Hindus must convert. Quakers must convert. Mohammedans must convert. Practitioners of Bah'ai must convert. Animists must convert. Atheists must convert. Jainists must convert. All other manner of pagans must convert. And the exponents of conciliarism and its false religion that flies in the face of the missionary work of the Apostles must convert back to the Faith of our fathers, recapturing the zeal of the Apostles for the conversion of souls. Conciliarism seeks to "meet people where they are" to engage them in meaningless "dialogue." True apostolic zeal for souls seeks to challenge people to convert, lest they die in their false religions.

True love of God and for the souls for whom He shed every single drop of His Most Precious Blood on the wood of the Holy Cross impels all Catholics, especially popes and bishops and priests, to seek the conversion of all men everywhere to the true Faith. How many diocesan priests in the past sixty years can say that they have done what the late Father Daniel Johnson did during his twenty-five years as the pastor of Saint Mary's by the Sea in Huntington Beach, California: knock on every door, commercial and residential alike, in his parish's boundaries three times during the course of twenty-five years, converting 554 people along the way? How many diocesan priests can say that they have ever considered doing such a thing as part of the pastoral work God Himself expects them to complete while pastor of a particular parish? Oh, no, such zeal for souls is not in the "job description" of conciliarism and not useful to one who seeks to climb the clerical ladder rather than imitate the zeal of the Apostles themselves.

On this great day, Pentecost Sunday, which is extended in its celebration for eight days in the Catholic Church (there is no such Octave—and its accompanying Ember Days this Wednesday, Friday and Saturday—in the "ordinary form" of what is said to be the Roman Rite of the counterfeit church of conciliarism), may we renew our fervor for the conversion of our own souls on a daily basis away from sin and sloth in order to let the life of Sanctifying Grace that God the Holy Ghost wants to pour into our souls through the loving hands of Our Lady, the Mediatrix of All Graces, lead us to the heights of personal sanctity. This process of our own daily conversion is completed only at the moment of our deaths, not before, which is why we need to pray to Our Lady, the Spouse of God the Holy Ghost, to help us in our infirmities of body and soul so that we can benefit from the Seven Gifts and Twelve Fruits that that Holy Ghost impressed upon our immortal souls when we were Confirmed so as to grow in the knowledge and the practice of the virtues, each of which is necessary for us to be Christ-like at all times and for all others and to see the image of the Divine Redeemer in all others.

Father Benedict Baur's words for this day, the birthday of Holy Mother Church, should inspire us to cleave exclusively to those who understand that the mission of the Church is to convert all men and all nations to the Faith of Christ the King:

Seven times seven days, a complete jubilee octave, have passed since Easter. Now the Holy Ghost, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the eternal expression of the mutual love of the Father and the Son, comes to us. He comes with the sound of a mighty wind, appearing to the apostles in the form of tongues of fire which rest upon each of them. Made bold by this baptism of fire, they go forth into the world and proclaim by word and deed, even by the sacrificing of their lives, that Christ the crucified One is truly risen.

The first Pentecost. The historical event of Pentecost is related in the Epistle. The apostles and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, are gathered together in one place. About the third hour (about nine o'clock) they hear a mighty rush of wind as if a storm were approaching. Then tongues of fire appear above the heads of each of them. They are filled with the Holy Ghost and begin to speak in various tongues, according as the Holy Ghost inspired them. Outside the house a great crowd of people has gathered, who cannot imagine what has happened. Then they hear the disciples and the apostles speaking in various languages, and each one, in the language in which he was born, hears of the wonderful things which God has done. A new Pentecost! In ancient times God confirmed His covenant with Israel to the accompaniment of thunder and lightning. But the law He gave was the law of fear, the law of severity, the law of servitude. This is a new Pentecost, a Pentecost that fills the hearts of men with love, freedom, and holy joy. The Holy Ghost appears with a mighty wind, penetrating and filling the hearts of the disciples. They are freed from their former timidity and hesitancy. The Holy Ghost enlightens men, guides their thoughts, provides for their needs, controls their desires, inspires their affections, adjusts their motives, and elevates them to the kingdom of the spirit. He teaches them a new manner of life. He gives them courage, strength of character, stability, inexhaustible patience, a readiness for sacrifice, a will to suffer for the sake of Christ. They are indeed a new creation.

Our Pentecost. In the mind of the liturgy, Pentecost is not merely the commemoration of a past event; the wonders related in the Epistle are repeated today in us. We also gather in one place in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and unite in prayer, awaiting the coming of the Holy Ghost. For this reason we pray at the end of the Epistle: "Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love." When the glorified Savior appears in our midst at the Consecration of the Mass, He will bring the Holy Ghost with Him. In our reception of Holy Communion the events of Pentecost will take visible form. The Holy Ghost comes to each of us and fills us with His fire and His power. He does not come to us in the form of fiery tongues, but in the form of a fragile host which is the glorified body of Christ and contains also the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Ghost. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive again the baptism of the Spirit. Having been filled with the Holy Ghost, having become bearers of the Spirit and apostles of the Lord, we announce the marvelous works of the Lord. During the distribution of Holy Communion, the Church sings: "Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty wind coming. .  . . and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking the wonderful works of God, alleluia, alleluia." Pentecost has been repeated in the present.

"If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, an We will come to him and will make Our abode with him" (Gospel). Thus our Lord describes the love of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, the love which binds us all together. God is never very far from us; He is actually within us. This is the joyful message of Pentecost: God is within us! The Father loves us, not only for today or for tomorrow, but for all eternity. God is within us and we are filled with light and warmth. We must let His rays shine into our hearts: we must let Him come and make His abode within us. We are field with His power and fire, which will consume all evil and all sin within us. This fire is our holy zeal to serve God our Savior.

Pentecost is the seal and perfection of the mystery of Easter. If Easter is baptism, Pentecost is confirmation. Easter gives us a new birth; Pentecost brings us to maturity. At Pentecost we reach our full stature, we are brought to maturity. At Pentecost we reach our full stature, we are brought to man's estate, to perfection by the power of the Holy Ghost. The baptism of the Spirit prepares us for heroic deeds, sanctifies our thoughts, purifies our motives. It makes us perfect Christians. (Father Benedict Baur, O.S.B., The Light of the World, Volume 1, pp. 574-576.)

The readings for Matins in today's Divine Office contain a sermon from Pope Saint Gregory the Great, who explained this great celebation today as follows:

Dearly beloved brethren, our best way will be to run briefly through the words which have been read from the Holy Gospel, and thereafter rest for a while quietly gazing upon the solemn subject of this great Festival. This is the day whereon "suddenly there came a sound from heaven," and the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles, and, for fleshly minds, gave them minds wherein the love of God was shed abroad and, while without "there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them," within, their hearts were enkindled. While they received the visible presence of God in the form of fire, the flames of His love enwrapped them. The Holy Ghost Himself is love whence it is that John saith "God is love." Whosoever therefore loveth God with all his soul, already hath obtained Him Whom he loveth, for no man is able to love God, if He have not gained Him Whom he loveth.

But, behold, now, if I shall ask any one of you whether he loveth God, he will answer with all boldness and quietness of spirit: "I do love him." But at the very beginning of this day's Lesson from the Gospel, ye have heard what the Truth saith: "If a man love Me, he will keep My word." The test, then, of love, is whether it is showed by works. Hence the same John hath said in his Epistle I. iv. 20, v. 3: "If a man say, I love God, and keepeth not His commandments, He is a liar." Then do we indeed love God, and keep His commandments, if we deny ourselves the gratification of our appetites. Whosoever still wandereth after unlawful desires, such an one plainly loveth not God, for he saith, Nay, to that which God willeth.

"And My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him." O my dearly beloved brethren, think what a dignity is that, to have God abiding as a guest in our heart Surely if some rich man or some powerful friend were to come into our house, we would hasten to have our whole house cleaned, lest, perchance, when he came in, he should see aught to displease his eye. So let him that would make his mind an abode for God, cleanse it from all the filth of works of iniquity. Lo, again, what saith the Truth: "We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him." There are some hearts whereunto God cometh, but maketh not His abode therein with a certain pricking they feel His Presence, but in time of temptation they forget that which hath pricked them and so they turn again to work unrighteousness, even as though they had never repented. (Matins, Divine Office, Pentecost Sunday.)

The Third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, God the Holy Ghost, means to light a fire of Divine love in our souls. This fire of Divine love is meant to help us to detached more and more from self as the years progress so that we can think first and foremost of the interests of God as He has revealed Himself to us exclusively through the Catholic Church that He created upon the Rock of Peter, the Pope. This fire of Divine love roots us to the Catholic Church, helping us to realize that God is immutable, and that it is His unchanging will for each man and each nation on the face of this earth to be Catholic and to serve Him most especially by total consecration to Him through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. This fire of Divine love will, therefore, help to burn out the "old man" from us so that we can have some approximation in our souls of the humility and docility of Our Lady herself as she, His daughter, consented to be His own Mother and Spouse without a thought of herself.

What better way, after Holy Mass and Eucharistic piety, to enkindle in us this fire of Divine love than by turning to the Spouse of God the Holy Ghost to beg her through her Most Holy Rosary to help us to be so intent on our own daily growth in the Faith that we will be much better able to cooperate with the graces that flow through her loving hands to plant at least a few seeds for the conversion of men and nations to the Social Kingship of her Divine Son and of her own Queenship.

A blessed Pentecost Sunday to you all!

Vivat Christus Rex!

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Saint Andrew, pray for us.

Saint Matthew, pray for us.

Saint Luke, pray for us.

Saint Mark, pray for us.

Saint James the Greater, pray for us.

Saint James the Lesser, pray for us.

Saint Jude Thaddeus, pray for us.

Saint Matthias, pray for us.

Saint Bartholomew, pray for us.

Saint Thomas the Apostle, pray for us.

Saint Philip, pray for us.

Saint Simon, pray for us.

Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us.

Saints Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, pray for us.

Saint Augstine of Canterbury (whose feast is superseded this year), pray for us.

Appendix A

From The New English Edition of The Mystical City of God on Pentecost

 58. In the company of the great Queen of heaven and encouraged by Her the twelve Apostles and the rest of the disciples and faithful joyfully waited for the fulfillment of the promise of the Savior that He would send them the Holy Ghost, the Consoler, who would instruct them and administer unto them all they had heard in the teaching of their Lord (Jn. 14:26). They were so unanimous and united in charity that during all these days none of them had any thought, affection or inclination contrary to those of the rest; they were of one heart and soul in thought and action. Although the election of St. Matthias had occurred, not the least sign or movement of discord arose among all these new children of the Church, though this was the type of occasion in which different opinions drag the will to discord even among the most courteous, since each one tends to follow his own opinion and does not conform himself to that of another. But into this holy congregation no discord found entrance because they were united in prayer, fasting, and the expectation of the Holy Ghost, who does not seek repose in discordant and unyielding hearts. So it can be seen how powerful was this union in charity not only for disposing them for the reception of the Holy Ghost but for overcoming and dispersing the evil spirits, I will say the demons, who since the death of the Savior had lain prostrate in hell, felt in themselves a new kind of oppression and terror resulting from the virtues of those assembled in the Cenacle. Although they could not explain it to themselves they perceived a new and terrifying force emanating from that place, and they judged the destruction of their reign by those disciples of Christ had begun to operate by his doctrine and example.

59. The Queen of the Angels, most holy Mary, in the plenitude of her wisdom and grace, knew the time and predestined hour for the sending of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostolic College. When the days of Pentecost were accomplished (Acts 2:1), which happened fifty days after the Resurrection of our Lord and Redeemer, the most blessed Mother saw how in heaven the humanity of the Person of the Word proposed to the eternal Father the fulfillment of the promise which He as the Savior made on earth to his Apostles, that of sending the divine Spirit, the Consoler (Jn. 14:26), and that the time determined by his infinite wisdom had arrived for granting this favor to the holy Church in order to plant in it the faith which the Son himself had ordained and the gifts he had merited. The Lord also presented the merits acquired by Him in the flesh through his most holy life, Passion and Death; the mysteries wrought by Him for the remedy of the human race; that He was the Mediator, Advocate and Intercessor between the eternal Father and men; and that among them lived his most sweet Mother, in whom the divine Persons were so well pleased. His Majesty also petitioned that in addition to bringing grace and the invisible gifts the Holy Ghost come into the world in visible form, this being appropriate in order to honor the law of the Gospel before all the world, console and encourage the Apostles and faithful who would preach the divine truth, and terrify the enemies of the Lord, who had during his life persecuted and despised Him unto the death of the cross.

60. This petition of our Redeemer in heaven was supported on earth by most holy Mary in a manner befitting the merciful Mother of the faithful. Prostrate upon the earth in the form of a cross in most profound humility She knew how in the consistory of the most blessed Trinity the petition of the Savior was accepted, and how to fulfill and execute it the Persons of the Father and the Son (according to our understanding), as the principle from whom the Holy Ghost proceeds, decreed the active mission of the Holy Ghost, for to these Two is attributed the sending of the third Person who proceeds from both, and the third Person, the Holy Ghost, passively accepted this mission and consented to come into the world. Although all three divine Persons and their operations are from the same infinite and eternal will without any inequality, yet the same powers which in all the Persons are indivisible and equal have certain operations ad intra in each Person which are not in the others; and thus the understanding engenders in the Father, but not in the Son, who is engendered, and the will breathes forth in the Father and the Son, but not in the Holy Ghost, who is breathed forth. For this reason to the Father and the Son, as the active principle, are attributed the sending of the Holy Ghost ad extra, and to Him is attributed being sent, as if passively.

61. Proceeding with the aforementioned prayers on the morning of the day of Pentecost, the most prudent Queen exhorted the Apostles, the disciples, and the pious women (in all numbering one hundred twenty persons [Acts 1:15]) to pray more fervently and renew their hopes, since very soon they would be visited by the divine Spirit from on high. At the third hour, when they were all together praying along with the heavenly Lady, the air resounded with a dreadful thunder and the blowing of a violent wind with great brightness, as of lightning and fire, all centering on the house of the Cenacle. The house was enveloped in light and the divine fire was poured out over all of that holy gathering (Acts 2:2). Over the head of each of the one hundred twenty persons appeared a tongue of that same fire in which the Holy Ghost had come (Ib. 3), filling each one with divine influences and heavenly gifts, and causing at one and the same time the most diverse and contrary effects in the Cenacle and in the whole of Jerusalem according to the different persons affected.

62. In most holy Mary these effects were altogether divine and most wonderful in the sight of all the heavenly courtiers, for we men are incapable of understanding and explaining them. The purest Lady was transformed and exalted in God, for She saw intuitively and clearly the Holy Ghost, and for a short time enjoyed the beatific vision of the Divinity. Of his gifts and divine influences She by Herself received more than all the rest of the Saints, and her glory for that space of time exceeded that of the Angels and the Blessed. She alone gave to the Lord more glory, praise and thanksgiving than all the universe for the benefit of the descent of his divine Spirit upon the holy Church, and for his having pledged Himself so many times to send Him and through Him to govern it to the end of the world. The blessed Trinity was so pleased with the works of most holy Mary alone on this occasion that He considered Himself fully repaid and compensated for having created the world; and not only compensated, but God acted as if He were under a certain obligation of possessing this unique creature, whom the Father could look upon as his Daughter, the Son as his Mother, and the Holy Ghost as his Spouse, and whom (according to our way of thinking) He was now obliged to visit and enrich after having chosen Her for such an exalted dignity. In this worthy and happy Spouse were renewed all the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost with new effects and operations altogether beyond our capacity to understand.

63. The Apostles, as St. Luke says (Ib. 4), were also replenished and filled with the Holy Ghost, for they received a wonderful increase of sanctifying grace of a most exalted degree, and they alone were confirmed in this grace in order never to lose it. In all of them, according to the degree befitting each one, were infused the habits of the seven gifts: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Piety, Counsel, Fortitude and Fear. In this magnificent blessing, as new as it was admirable in the world, the twelve Apostles were created fit ministers of the New Testament (II Cor. 3:6) and founders of the evangelical Church for the whole world, for this new grace and blessing communicated to them a divine strength most efficacious and sweet, which inclined them to practice the most heroic virtue and the highest sanctity. By this strength they prayed, they labored willingly, and the accomplished the most difficult and arduous tasks, engaging in their labors not with sorrow or from necessity but with joy and gladness (Ib. 9:7).

64. In all the rest of the disciples and faithful who received the Holy Ghost in the Cenacle the Most High wrought proportionally and respectively the same effects, except they were not confirmed in grace like the Apostles. According to the disposition of each the gifts of grace were communicated in greater or less abundance in view of the ministry they were to hold in the holy Church. The same proportion was maintained in regard to the Apostles, yet St. Peter and St. John were more singularly favored due the high offices assigned to them, the former to govern the Church as its head and the latter to attend upon and serve the Queen and Lady of heaven and earth, most holy Mary. The sacred text of St. Luke says the Holy Ghost filled the whole house in which this happy congregation was gathered (Acts 2:2), not only because all of them were filled with the Holy Ghost and his admirable gifts but because the house itself was filled with wonderful light and splendor. This plenitude of wonders and prodigies overflowed and communicated itself also to others outside of the Cenacle, for it caused diverse and various effects of the Holy Ghost among the inhabitants of Jerusalem and its vicinity. All those who with some piety had shown compassion for our Jesus our Savior and Redeemer in his Passion and Death, pitying his most bitter torments and reverencing his venerable Person, were interiorly visited with new light and grace which disposed them afterwards to accept the doctrine of the Apostles. Those who were converted by the first sermon of St. Peter were to a great extent of the number of those who by their compassion and sorrow at the death of the Lord had begun to merit such great happiness. Others of the just who were in Jerusalem outside of the Cenacle also felt great interior consolations by which they were moved and predisposed by new effects of grace wrought in each one respectively by the Holy Ghost.

65. Yet not less admirable, though more hidden, were some contrary effects produced on that day by the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem. Thus by the dreadful thunder, vehement commotion of the air, and lightning in which the Holy Ghost came He alarmed and struck with terror the enemies of the Lord in that city, each one according to his own malice and perfidy. This chastisement was particularly evident in those who had actively concurred in the death of our Savior, singling themselves out in venting their malice and rage; all these fell to the ground on their faces and remained thus for three hours. Those who had scourged His Majesty all died, drowned in their own blood which from the blow they received shot forth until it suffocated them in retribution for so impiously shedding the blood of Christ. The audacious servant who had struck His Divine Majesty not only suddenly died but was hurled body and soul into hell. Others of the Jews, though they did not die, were chastised with intense pains and certain abominable sicknesses, which by the blood of Christ with which they charged themselves has passed to their descendents, and even to this day continues among them who have these most unclean and horrible conditions. This chastisement became notorious in Jerusalem, though the chief priests and Pharisees diligently sought to cover it up, just as they had tried to conceal the Resurrection of the Savior; however, since these events were not so important neither the Apostles nor the Evangelists wrote about them, and in the confusion of the city the multitude soon forgot them

66. The chastisement and dread extended also to the depths of hell, where the demons felt themselves seized with new confusion and oppression for three days just as the Jews lay on the earth for three hours. During these three days Lucifer and his demons broke forth in tremendous howls by which all the damned received new shame and terror of most painful confusion. O ineffable and powerful Spirit! The holy Church calls Thee the finger of God* because Thou dost proceed from the Father and the Son as the finger from the arm and the body, yet on this occasion it was manifested to me Thou holdest the same infinite power with the Father and the Son. At one and the same time by thy royal Presence heaven and earth are moved by such different effects in all its inhabitants, being very similar to those which shall happen at the Last Judgment. The saints and the just Thou dost fill with thy grace, thy gifts, and thy ineffable consolations, and the impious and the proud Thou dost chastise and overwhelm with confusion and pain. Truly I see here fulfilled what Thou sayest through the mouth of David, that Thou art a God of revenge and hath acted freely (Ps. 93:1),† administering appropriate retribution to the wicked so they may not glory in their iniquitous malice, nor say in their heart Thou failest in perception or judgment while reproving and chastising their sins.

67. Let then the ignorant of this world understand and the foolish know the Most High knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are vain (Ib. 11); that if He is generous and most kind to the just, He is also rigid in punishing the impious and the wicked. It was appropriate for the Holy Ghost to manifest Himself in both of these ways on this occasion, for He proceeded from the incarnate Word, who had become man for the sake of men, had died in order to redeem them, and had suffered ignominies and torments without opening his mouth (Is. 53:7) or seeking retribution for those insults and offenses.D In coming down into this world it was just for the Holy Ghost to manifest his zeal for the honor of that same incarnate Word, and although He did not punish all of his enemies, yet He indicated in the punishment of the most wicked what all the others deserved, who in their stubborn perfidy had despised Him, if by the respite allowed them they did not return to the truth in heartfelt penance. It was also appropriate for the few who had received the Word and had followed Him as their Master and Redeemer, and for those who were to preach his faith and doctrine, to be rewarded and furnished with the proper means for establishing the Church and the evangelical law. The Apostle says that leaving one’s father and mother and uniting oneself with a wife (as Moses also said [Gen. 2:24]) is a great sacrament in Christ and in the Church (Eph. 5:32), because He descended from the bosom of the Father in order to unite Himself with the Church by means of his humanity. Hence since Christ came down from heaven in order to be with his spouse the Church, it follows that the Holy Ghost came down because of Mary most holy, who was not less his Spouse than Christ was of the Church, and who was not less beloved by the Holy Ghost than the Church was beloved by Christ.

INSTRUCTION GIVEN ME BY OUR LADY, THE GREAT QUEEN OF HEAVEN.

68. My daughter, in small esteem and gratitude do the children of the Church hold this blessing of the Most High by which, in addition to sending his Son as their Master and Redeemer, He sent also the Holy Ghost into his Church. So great was the love by which He sought to draw them to Himself that in order to make them sharers of his divine perfections He sent them first the Son (Jn. 3:16), who is Wisdom, and afterwards the Holy Ghost, who is Love, so all could be enriched in the manner of which they were capable. The divine Spirit, in coming for the first time upon the Apostles and the others gathered with them, intended it as a pledge and testimony that He would confer the same favor on the rest of the children of the Church, of the light, and of the Gospel, and that He was ready to communicate his gifts to all if all would dispose themselves for receiving them. In witness to this truth the Holy Ghost came upon many of the faithful in visible form and with visible effects (Acts 8:17; 10:44; 11:15), because they were truly faithful servants, humble and sincere, pure and ready of heart to receive Him. He likewise comes to many just souls in our times, though not with such open manifestations because it is neither necessary nor proper. The effects and interior gifts are all of the same nature according to the disposition and degree of each one who receives them.

69. Happy is the soul who sighs and aspires after this blessing and seeks to participate in this divine fire which enkindles, enlightens, and consumes all that is terrestrial and carnal, which purifies and raises the soul up to a new existence, union and participation with God himself. As thy true and loving Mother I desire this happiness for thee, my daughter, and so thou mayest attain it in its fullness I again exhort thee to prepare thy heart by seeking to preserve inviolate tranquility and peace in all that may happen to thee. The divine clemency desires to raise thee to a habitation very exalted and secure, where the torments of thy spirit shall come to an end, where neither the assaults of the world nor of hell can reach, and where in thy own repose the Lord shall rest and find in thee a worthy dwelling place and a temple of his glory. Yet thou shalt not escape the attacks and temptations directed against thee by the dragon with the highest astuteness; therefore live prepared so thou be neither disturbed nor admit anxiety in the interior of thy soul. Guard thy treasure in the secrecy of the Lord and enjoy his delights, the sweet effects of his chaste love, and the influences of his holy science, for in this regard He has singled thee out from many generations in utmost liberality.

70. Take heed then of thy calling, and assure thyself that the Most High offers thee anew the participation and communication of his divine Spirit and his gifts; however, remember that when He confers them He does not take away the freedom of thy will, for He always leaves free the election of good or evil. Trusting thus in the divine favor thou must efficaciously resolve to imitate me in the works thou knowest of my life, and thou must never hinder the effects and the operations of the gifts of the Holy Ghost.  In order for thee to better understand this doctrine, I shall explain to thee the effects of all his seven gifts.

71. The first gift, which is Wisdom, fills the mind with the knowledge and the delight of divine things, and moves the heart to a sincere love for the practice and exercise of all that is good, that is best, and most perfect and agreeable in the eyes of the Lord. With this impulse thou must concur, yielding thyself entirely to the pleasure of his divine will and despising all that might hinder thee, no matter how pleasing it may seem to thy will or alluring to thy appetite. Wisdom is aided by Understanding, the second gift, which gives special light to penetrate profoundly into the object presented to the understanding. With this gift thou must cooperate by diverting and turning aside thy attention and thoughts from all the illegitimate and foreign objects of knowledge which the demon, either by himself or through other creatures, shall present to thy mind in order to distract it and prevent it from penetrating deeply into the truth of divine things. This kind of distraction greatly embarrasses the mind, for the two kinds of knowledge are incompatible with each other, and whenever the limited faculties of man are divided in their attention to many objects they enter into them less and attend less than if all their operations were riveted on one alone. In this is experienced the truth of the Gospel teaching that no one can serve two masters (Mt. 6:24). When the whole attention of the soul has thus been riveted on understanding the good, Fortitude, the third gift, is necessary in order to execute resolutely all that the understanding has perceived as most holy, perfect and agreeable before the Lord. The difficulties and hindrances in the pursuit of what is good are to be overcome by Fortitude, making the creature ready to suffer any labor or pain in order not to be deprived of the true and highest Good it has come to know.

72. But it often happens that natural ignorance and doubt added to temptation withhold the creature from following out the conclusions and consequences of the divine truth, and thus create hindrances in the execution of what is more perfect; in the midst of these whims offered by the prudence of the flesh, God furnishes the fourth gift, that of Knowledge, which gives light to distinguish between different kinds of good, teaches the most certain and secure way, and decides upon it when necessary. To this is joined the fifth gift, that of Piety, which inclines the soul with sweet urgency to all that is truly pleasing and of service to the Lord and of spiritual benefit to the creature who executes it. It inclines the creature to these things not by any natural passion but by a holy, perfect and virtuous motive. So in all things man can be guided by high prudence the Holy Ghost provides the sixth gift, that of Counsel, which supports his understanding so he can act with precision and without temerity, weighing the means and discreetly taking counsel with himself and with others in order to gain honest and holy ends by the selection of the proper means. To all these is added the last gift, that of Fear, which guards and sets the seal on all of them. This gift inclines the heart to flee and avoid all that is imperfect, incompatible and dangerous to the virtues and perfections of the soul, thus serving as a wall of defense. It is necessary to understand the object and the manner of this holy fear lest it grow excessive and cause the creature to fear where there is no occasion. Such has often happened to thee through the astuteness of the serpent when under the guise of holy fear he has sought to introduce the disordered fear of the very benefits of the Lord; yet by this instruction thou art now informed how thou must put into practice the gifts of the Most High and prepare thyself for them. I remind and admonish thee that this science of holy fear is the accompaniment of the favors communicated to thee by the Most High, that it fills the soul with sweetness, peace and tranquility, and enables the creature properly to estimate and appreciate the gifts which come from the powerful hand of the Almighty. Neither are any of them unimportant, nor does this fear hinder a proper estimation of these gifts; rather, it induces the soul to render gratitude with all its powers and humble itself to the dust. In understanding these truths without error, and in suppressing the cowardly fear of slaves, thou shalt be filled with filial fear, which as thy guiding star shall help thee navigate securely in this ocean of tears.  (The English Edition of The Mystical City of God, Book Seven, The Coronation, Chapter  V.)

SEQUENCE:    VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS