words of Jesus had vibrated in their hearts!-a voice indeed from the tomb, had they but recognized it, but a living voice from a tomb erected into a throne. It is a curious illustration of the slowness of belief of the Apostles, that although they believed that the Lord had appeared to Peter, yet, as St. Mark tells us, they rejected the apparition on the road to Emmäus. For when the two disciples "going told it to the rest, neither did they believe them." Yet these witnesses were fresh from their interview with the Lord, having turned back quickly and hastened into the city with their news. But a still more amazing apparition was to be given to all the Apostles (except Thomas) later on that same night, coupled with the Apostolic power of pardoning sin.

CHAPTER V.

WHOSE SINS YOU SHALL forgive, THEY ARE forGIVEN THEM."-THE PROFESSION OF FAITH BY THOMAS.

Luke xxiv. 36-43; John xx. 19-31.

'N the opening sentences of the Acts of the Apostles St. Luke speaks of Jesus as "for forty days appearing to the Apostles, and speaking to them of the kingdom of God"; that is to say, His visible kingdom, His Church. Some of the most important doctrines and institutions of His religion were the subjects of His discourses, which doubtless in tone and feeling were most joyous, as in substance they were marvellously important. It is all given with the gentle power of their beloved Teacher of Galilee, but in addition there is a gladness in His looks, a triumph

in His voice unknown before the Resurrection. This gladness and this triumph He imparts to the very important teaching which accompanied His first apparition to the assembled Apostles.

He began by the salutation "Peace be to you." And if ever men have known peace, calm, assured peace transcending words to express, it is after they have been forgiven their sins by the Sacrament of Penance. Jesus soothed the troubled minds of His followers as a preparation for receiving their ordination for this sacrament, and a share of His own power of pardoning sin. They, at least some of them, thought He was but a fearful vision, and therefore He showed them His hands and feet, He spoke again and again to them, He ate and drank with them; in every way He would restore as far as possible their old-time feeling of familiar affection. Now, and afterwards in all His dealings with them, He would banish fear, and say, as He did to St. John in the Apocalypse I am the (i. 17, 18), "Fear not. first, and the last, and alive, and was dead, and behold I am living for ever and ever, and have the keys of death and hell." And, indeed, when the soul of Jesus resumed its bleeding and broken corpse and made it alive, it was as if God had breathed a new spirit into all human flesh, the spirit of pardon and peace. Hence it was after His Resurrection, that great inbreathing of new life, that Jesus chose to institute His sacrament of peace, and to breathe upon repen

Now whilst they were speaking these things, when it was late, that same day, being the first day of the week, and the doors were shut where the disciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews: Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you; it is I, fear not. But they being troubled and affrighted, supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle and see, for a spirit

hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have. And when he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet and his side. But while they yet believed not but wondered for joy, he said: Have you here anything to eat? And they offered him a piece of broiled fish and a honey-comb. And when he had eaten before them, taking the remains he gave to them. The disciples there

fore were glad when they saw the Lord. He

said therefore to them again: Peace be to
you. As the Father hath sent me, I also
send you.
When he had said this he
breathed on them; and he said to them:

Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins
you shall forgive, they are forgiven them;
and whose sins you shall retain, they are
retained.

tant sinners the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of their sins.

Of all the uses of Christ's sacred Brotherhood among men none can equal that of pardoning sin, an office which endows human friendship with a divine prerogative. His introductory words, "Peace be to you," foreshow His gift of tranquillity of soul in pardon and reconciliation; His breathing of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles assures both the penitent and the Apostle of the divinity of the act performed; the alternative of sin to be pardoned or sin to be retained demands as a necessary preliminary of pardon the holy but painful confession of sin and the explicit proof of sorrow: all preceded by the sublime authentication: "As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you."

Thus Christ instituted that external rite which combines sorrow for sin and confession and absolution, and is called the Sacrament of Penance. It is the drawing of the penitent soul into a brother's counsel and admonition; and especially into the pardon of a compassionate Father administered by the ambassador of Christ. Unless the Apostleship had thus been made what St. Paul terms a "ministry of reconciliation," the main purpose for which the Son of God had been sent by His Father would have sadly halted in its fulfil

ment.

The next appearance of Jesus which is recorded happened a week afterwards, and was given to all the disciples. It was for the sake of the holy virtue of Christian faith, which had been wounded by Thomas. He was but an exaggerated specimen of the unreasonable incredulity of all the Apostles, but

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen the Lord. But

he said to them: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days, again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you. Then he saith to Thomas: Put in thy

finger hither, and see my hands, and bring hither thy hand and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered, and said to him: My Lord, and my God. Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.

his sin of unbelief was so conspicuous that Jesus made of it an occasion (in His usual loving way) of public admonition to him and of instruction to all. He elicited from Thomas's obstinate heart a profession of faith in terms most emphatic and plainly affirmative of His divinity. He grants the doubter all the conditions of physical sight and touch he had insisted on in his dispute with his brethren; but poor Thomas is overwhelmed with remorse and flooded with an overpowering sense of faith. "My Lord and my God!" he exclaims. He is the first of a long line of mighty believers who, like St. Augustine, fight hard in the beginning for the pretensions of reason, only in the end to yield the more absolutely to the prerogatives of faith.*

The Master, we must carefully notice, rebuked the doubting Apostle very severely, and yet did not rebuke the cowardly one after his denial. Cowardice is a detestable vice, and in Peter's case the offence was an aggravated one. But hardness and slowness of belief is a form of pride hateful to God and man,

* Immediately following this evidence of Christ's divinity, St. John adds the following words: " Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." This sounds as if intended to be the closing sentence of the Gospel of St John, which nevertheless has another chapter. Much controversy has taken place over this, which we may leave to learned critics, contenting ourselves with the undoubted certainty of the authenticity of the last chapter, which may have been added to his work by its author some time after its original composi tion.

and contempt for the testimony of brethren is ominous. of the loss of faith, a calamity involving every other loss. Even a guiltless natural tendency to scepticism is a misfortune of the worst kind, and wilful doubt in religious matters is an unspeakable crime.

CHAPTER VI.

JESUS APPEARS TO SEVEN APOSTLES AT THE SEA OF TIBERIAS.-THE PRIMACY OF PETER.

Matt. xxviii. 16; John xxi. 1-25.

T is evident that the Apostles were, much of the time, left by Jesus at their own disposal, either in quiet waiting for the Lord, or engaged in their ordinary occupation of humble fishermen. Jesus appeared to them at short intervals, enlightening their faith by His instructions, and sinking. deeper and deeper into their souls the wonder and awe and thanksgiving of His resurrection. "After this Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And He showed Himself after this manner. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas who is called Didymus, and Nathanael who was of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter saith to them: I go a fishing. They say to him: We also come with thee. And they went forth and entered into the ship : and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore: yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them: Children, have you any meat? They answered Him: No. He saith to them: Cast the net on the right side of the ship; and you shall find. They cast therefore: and now they were not able to