Tongues of Fire

After Jesus had gone to Heaven, the Apostles stayed in the room of the Last Supper, praying and waiting for the Holy Ghost. At last on the tenth day, “suddenly there came a sound from Heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2). And there rested over the head of each a tongue of fire. “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (verse 4).

From that moment they were changed. They no longer hid behind barred doors, but rushed out into the streets and told every one that they were the friends of Jesus of Nazareth.

And a great light shone in on their minds and they remembered everything Jesus had said to them and they understood it all for the first time. Now there were in Jerusalem, Jews who had come from every country in the world, and when they had gathered in a great crowd to hear the Apostles, each one heard his own language. They could not understand how this could be and they asked one another what it meant. But the Holy Ghost had given the Apostles this power.

Then Peter stood up and told them that they had crucified Christ, the Son of God. And many of the Jews felt very sorry and said: “What shall we do?” (verse 37). And Peter said: “Be baptized every one of you” (verse 38). And about three thousand were baptized.

Every day more and more were baptized and joined the army of Christ, which is the Catholic Church. The rich sold everything they owned and divided it with the poor and they all lived together; and what one had, the other had.

One day Peter and John went up to the temple. At the Gate Beautiful, a beggar was sitting. He had been lame all his life and was now over forty years old. Every day he was carried to the gate so that he could beg from the people that passed.

When he had seen Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for help.

“But Peter said: ‘Gold and silver I have none; but what I have, I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk.’”

“And taking him by the right hand, he lifted him up. …”

“And he leaping up, stood and walked; and went in with them into the temple. …”

“And all the people saw him walking and praising God.”

“And they knew him, that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened to him” (Acts 3:6-10).

And a crowd quickly gathering, Peter spoke to them and said that he had not cured the man by his own power, but through the holy name of Jesus. And then he told them that the Christ they had killed was the Son of God, and that although they had not known what they were doing, they should be very sorry for their sin. And many of the Jews believed and asked to be baptized.

But the Jewish priests were frantic and whilst Peter and John were still speaking, they had them seized and thrown into jail, for it was then evening.

The next day, the high-priest and all his relatives and the priests and the rulers came together, and Peter and John were brought before them. And they asked them: “By what power, or by what name, have you done this?” (Acts 4:7.)

Then Peter answered: “Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by Him this man standeth here before you whole.

“For there is no other Name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.” (Verses 10, 12.)

The priests did not know what to do. If they punished the Apostles, the people would not like it, for they knew that Peter had cured the beggar. And so they only threatened them and told them never again to speak about Jesus.

But the Apostles kept right on preaching and the people for miles around brought their sick and laid them on beds in the street so that when Peter passed, his shadow at least might fall on them and cure them. And they were all made well.

The priests grew so angry and jealous, that at last they threw the Apostles into prison. But at night an angel came and opened the doors and led them out. And in the morning they were back in the temple preaching.

And when the priests sent to the prison for the Apostles, the doors were found locked and the guards on duty, but the prison was empty. Whilst they were wondering how this could be, some one came and said: “The men whom you put in prison, are in the temple standing, and teaching the people” (Acts 5:25). Then they sent for the Apostles and after having them whipped, forbade their speaking again about Jesus. But they went away very happy, because they had suffered something for Christ.

More and more men and women joined the Catholic Church and among them was a man named Stephen, who went about preaching and curing the sick. And the Jews seized him and took him outside the city and there hurled heavy stones upon him. And Stephen’s face was beautiful as the face of an angel and he cried out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:58). And falling on his knees and praying for the men that were killing him, he died.

St. Stephen was the first martyr or the first person in the whole world to give up his life for the love of Jesus.

Among those who stood by at Stephen’s death, was a young Jew named Saul. He hated the Catholics and went about as a spy from city to city, hunting them out and dragging them to court. One day, as he was after the Christians, he was thrown off his horse, and a bright light shone upon him and he was immediately struck blind. Then he heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him and telling him that the Catholic Church was His Church, and that in going against it, he was going against God. Now Saul had really thought that he was working for God and when he heard this, he was baptized and joined the Church and the Apostles made him a priest and a bishop. Saul’s name was changed to Paul, and he spent the rest of his life working with all his might and main to get men to believe in Jesus. He traveled in many countries and suffered many things and at last he went to Rome. St. Peter went to Rome, too, and was its first bishop. As Jesus had made him the head of all the other Apostles, he was the father of all, or the first pope. He and St. Paul did all they could to teach the Romans, who were pagans and did not even believe in God. But at last the people killed them both, on the same day, for preaching about Jesus of Nazareth. They cut St. Paul’s head off and they hung St. Peter to a cross. And when St. Peter saw the cross on which he was to die, he wept to think how Jesus had died upon the cross for him. And then he said that he was not good enough to die as his dear Master had and so they crucified him with his head down towards the ground.

Each of the Apostles, after preaching in different parts of the world, was put to death—all but St. John. He was thrown into a great cauldron of boiling oil, but when they took him out, he was alive and well, and not so much as burned. Then they sent him off to an island in the sea and there he died when a very old man.

And you and I belong to the same great Church that Jesus made and for which the glorious Apostles died. And since their time, millions of men and women and even little boys and girls have let themselves be killed, because they would not leave the Church that Jesus made.

Even now, in far away parts of the world, Catholics are being put to death, because they love Jesus of Nazareth. But here, where you live, no one will kill you because you are a Catholic, but they will try to do many other things to you. They will make fun of you and tell lies about you and coax you to go to their Sunday Schools and even promise to give you ice-cream and automobile rides and nice clothes, if you will go to their church. But you must be strong and firm and remember that Jesus made only one Church, and that all the other churches were made long afterwards by different men that did not want to do what Jesus said; and you must think of the Apostles and the millions of other martyrs and you must be ready to die like them rather than give up your Church and you must be very proud that you are a Catholic and a soldier in Christ’s army.

The Holy Ghost will make you brave when He comes to you as He did to the Apostles. And when will the Holy Ghost come to you? When the bishop confirms you. Some day, when you have learned enough, you will go to church and there the bishop will pray to the Holy Ghost to come. Just as when you go to Holy Communion, so when you are confirmed you must not have any mortal sin on your soul. And you will walk up to the bishop and he will make the Sign of the Cross on your forehead with holy chrism and say: “I sign thee with the Sign of the Cross and I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” And the priest will wipe the chrism off, but a mark, showing you are a full soldier of Christ, will go on your soul and never come off.

And the bishop will give you a slight blow on the cheek to remind you that it will sometimes be very hard to be good and you will have to suffer but that you must be strong and brave. And you can be these for you will have received the Holy Ghost. He will be within your soul and when you go back to your place in the church, you must speak to Him and beg Him never to leave you, to let you see clearly that saving your soul is the big business of life, and to set your heart on fire with love for God.