The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-05-29
science has its limitations, though
scientists may not think SO.
PENTEcosT.

/ SnuECu 10 TITS IuSlTuLuGul. nS odCId-
ments are His Instruments Now that
God has arranged a plan of salvation
for us He is not likely to violate nor
to change it. Electricity is one of
the best physical agents known by
which to illustrate the workings of
tricity can do almost anything when
/ it is employed in conformity to law,
by means of conductors, as it's way is
prepared. Let the machinery be in
order, and see how the electricity flies
along the wires, carrying your mes
your light: but let the machinery be
out or order, let the wire be cut, and
where is your electricity? Even so
the Holy Spirit. Let the conditions
be complied with, and how He flashes
forth light, power, salvation! Let the
wire be cut, and the Holy Spirit will
not overlap the break. The fire from
heaven will not come.
You shall receive the power of the
Holy. Ghost coming upon you, and you
shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusa-
| lem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and even to the uttermost part of the
earth" (Acts l, 81 This Pentecostal
power is needed now as it was need
ed then. Not one of our missionaries
stands before an audience of inquir-
/ ing, anxious souls that he does not
realize the need of power from on
high in order to bring the truth home
to human hearts. That power will
make men earnest in imparting the
message of salvation and it will make
men earnest in receiving it. They
will realize, or should do so, that half
hearted religion is no religion at all.
God does not ask for a piece of the
| heart, He wants the whole of it,.
There are some things that must be
given in their entirety or they are
worthless, nobody wants them. Ear
nestness is working at religion, not
Iplaying with it. The disciples knew
the power existed, and they meant to
have it. To get it they would meet
Gods conditions whatever they were.
They were willing to wait in Jerusa-
lem until the Holy Spirit came. Our
Lady waited with them. She, too,
would see the elimination of suffering
in the glorious birthday of the Church.
They were all in deep earnest. They
meant to possess themselves of ardor,
intensity continuance, determination,
Iirresistibleness and victory. These
would be given them-becauSe they
already in measure had them
when the flaming tongues should set
tie upon them.
| Pentecostal power is the power of
united effort. The Catholic Church is
the greatest religious force in the
4 world, largely because she is unit
and because all her members in every
Church are doctrinally united and are
organically attached to one Head and
ttas His enc Vicar upon earth. Forty
Esticks will not make forty separate
fires scattered over the prairie. They
will all become extinguished. Put
| them all together, and now see what
a blaze. Again and again we are told
that those 120 disciples, including the
Blessed Virgin, were all in that upper
room-not 119, but 100. All there
and with one accord One mighty
thought filed their souls-to have the
promised blessing from on high
Think how some Catholics never
unite in prayer and work with their
Pastor and the rest of the Church
The careless conduct of such Chris
tians tends to dishearten the Pastor
and weaken the strength of the
, Church.
Pentecostal power is the power tc
witness for Christie be martyrs fol
Christ. The word martyr" means
witness. Christianity is religion
that advances by means of personal
! testimony; and only so. Our nom
Catholic friends make much use of q
Book, the Bible, to convert men. But
, God uses the tongue. Where no one
, speaks for Christianity it fails tc
make itself known, or it will die in
places where it once was known The
disciples were to be witnesses fol
: Christ, and the Apostles were tc
preach Christ. For the first thirty OF
, forty years there were no books writ
ten about Him, and for 800 years the
Church had no Holy Scriptures in any
| thing like collected form. Gods
Church grew nightly, but all by
J means of talk. The tongue, not the
[ Bible, was the great instrument di
; vinely used for the saving of men
/ If the first disciples had not talked
/ more about Jesus Christ than some
!, modern Catholics do, His cause
/ would have been dead before the New
I Testament was written. Let us tall
more about our adorable Savior.
: Pentecostal power, then, was the
, power of Gods unwritten Word
) Have you noticed at Pentecost wha
| a reasoner, what an expositor st
; Peter has become? We are Away.
J disposed to dwell upon the. grea
r Apostles denial of His Lord as i
that were the salient point of his life
forgetting the glorious acknoWledg
ment of our Lords divinity, the scene
| on the Mount of TRANSPORTATION, his
; investiture with the feadship O
j Christ'ss Church. What gave hin
} such power over mems hearts on ths
J memorable day of Pentecost? Reat
5 over his address, and you win find thai
| it is based upon quotations from tht
J IOId Testament ST. Peter treated il
as the word of God. Have you OBJ
! served how often we read in the Bool