The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-06-07
TONGUES OF FIRE.

course. The nations of earth had,
each in its turn, put up a brave
fight, measured strength with the
jewellers by the Tiber, and finally
succumbed under the sweeping
swish Of the Roman broadsword.
Nothing else was left to conquer,
and the victorious chieftains
rested upon their trimphs, the
while wealth and success, luxury
and indulgence led the people far
away from the standards of the
brave days of old.
During the reign of voluptuous-
ness in the world s capital little
drama was unfolding in the
despised land of Palestine. The
Jews had expected the advent Of
saviour, of one who would liber-
ate them from the thraldom of
centuries. Their gaze was fixed
upon an earthly champion; their
hopes centered in a material resur-
rection of their nation. The
degenerate priesthood had drifted
for from the ancient mornings,
and instead Of leading the people
they sought to dominate them.
Out Of Nazareth had come One
Who drew equally the contempt of
the priests and the love of the
people: He upbraided the one
while He cured the other. Claim
ing to be God, He wrought the
works of God. Then when it
seemed He might become king and
overthrow the hated Roman
power, suddenly He disappeared
His followers, poor and illiterate
men, trembled between wavering
faith in Him and human despair
Of the future. They were marked
men, for did not all know. that
they had professed to belong to
His retinue.
The Roman whirl went on; the
Jews gave up hope of help from
the great One Who had lately gone
from their midst; the chosen
twelve with the traitor missing,
lay hidden and fearful in the up
per room of an old house.
But He Who had risen Of His
own power, who had vanished
from their sight, Who had appar-
emily abandoned them, suddenly
re-asserted Himself. He made
good His promise. While they
huddled together in prayer and
fearfulness of mind and soul, the
heavens opened, the sound Of
mighty wind was heard, and the
twelve became conscious of
tongues of living fire flaming
overhead. The spirit of God was
poured down into their souls in
the form Of fire; electrified by the
infusion, they went forth, fire in
their eyes and in their souls. They
gave forth the truth that filled
their hearts; they boldly pro
claimed the triumph of their be-
lief; they asserted that the great
One still lived, that He was God,
that they were His ambassadors.
Giving force to their words, they
wrought wonders and signs; they
healed the sick and raised the
dead. He had come to scatter fire
upon the earth, and they would
continue to scatter it broadcast.
AT first the fire encountered in
combustible material; then it
caught the souls Of men; it pene-
trated throughout Palestine and
the neighboring countries; borne
by the intrepid Paul and the
dauntless Peter, the torch was set
to the city of Rome. The guard
ians of paganism fought long and
fiercely to extinguish the flames
that threatened their temples, but
that fire was from heaven, and
soon it consumed the abodes of
heavens enemies; idolatry was
crushed and people saw the light.
With a holy, devouring rapacity
the fire spread throughout the
earth, and one day the world
awoke to find itself Christian.
Pentecost commentaries the
day Of the great fire that
descended upon the Apostles. It
is a reminder to every Christian
to enkindle anew his faith and his
love at the unquenchable fame of
the Holy Spirit. Today when
faith and charity are endangered
by the dense clouds that emanate
from hell, it behooves every Chris
tian man and woman to nourish
that divine fire within his soul lest,
like the foolish virgins, when the