The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-05-21
C0NTE MPLATE THE PARacLETE,

In the Church calendar, next Sunday is called
Whitsunday. 1t is known and observed by the
faithful as the Feast of Pentecost After the death
and resurrection of Our Lord the descent of the
Holy Ghost upon the apostles gathered in hall
at Jerusalem was the last and most important act
of the Triune God, visible to man. The Scriptures
! relate the occurrence. 1t was a most solemn mo-
ment Then looking up, the apostles beheld the
| Paraclete IN the shape of fiery tongues suspended
over their heads, and Immediately a miraculous
change was wrought in the intellect and soul of
every of these apostles. From simple unIcarned
fishermen, they were changed into persons of ripe
knowledge, able to speak the languages known by
the races of that day and to write the inspired
books which comprise the Scriptures Next to his
resurrection the descent of the Holy Ghost and
the gift of the Paraelete is the most wonderful
miracle in proof of -Christs divinity. 1t is the
strongest argument to support the Church's claim
to infallible truth. From the hour of the Para
clete's appearance, the command of Christ yielded
to Jealous obedience: "Go and teach all nations
what have commanded you"
What world of thought is concentrated in the
acts of this handful of men filed with the Holy
Ghost! Think of the millions of souls in heaven
and upon earth, saved through the faith spoken
by these apostles and repeated by their successors
Is there, there be anything in the power of
sinful, ambitious man, to equal it in history?
Devotion to the Holy Ghost, we fear, is not
properly appreciated by most Catholics, vet it is
the most sublime for hours of prayer and medita-
ton 1t appeals to intellectual Catholics more
than to others. 1t is the first thought of the person
entering upon any work requiring the exercise of
the mental faculties The Holy Spirit never fails
to comply with the prayer directed to such end,
more especially if the mind and heart of the sup
plicant be given to Gods work upon earth.
Cardinals Wiseman and Manning, those grand
converts to the faith made the HOLY Ghost their
especial study. Their literary works exude the
Spirit like sap from the maple tree 1t must have
been that silent Voice which led them to the true
Church
But 1T IS meditation more than books and |
forms OF prayer, which gives us the true concep-
ton OF the Holy Spirit. Human like, our love and !
affection go to Jesus, the Savior-Jesus the sec
ond person of the Trinity. When we contemplate
the Holy Spirit, then comes a realization of the
majesty of God the Father, first person of the
trinity 1t is then we behold in the face of every
creature we meet the soul that God implanted
there In every shrub and tree, in every waterfall
and mountain, the spirit of God moving and
bidding us worship. 1t is in the soul of man. how
ever that the Holy Ghost loves most to dwell, for
there he best develops conscience and understand
ing Of right and wrong, and urges us to the
right.
How grateful Catholics should be for possessing
Ihs git bequeathed to us through Chrst's apos-
hesr How indifferent many of US are to its graces
and blessings