The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-12-23

Sermon on the Apostles Creed.

standeth here before you whole.
(Acts 4, 100 How account for this
sudden and remarkable change in the
apostles and disciples. Men are not
transformed from towards to heroes
without a reason. Only one reason or
explanation is possible. So convinced
were they of the fact of the resi1rrec-
tion that neither fear of Sanhedrin nor
loss of friends nor social ostracism,
not even the fear Of death, could hold
them back. He who had hung upon
the cross had burst the bonds Of death
and proved himself the master Of
death. Jesus of Nazareth was Jeho-
yah of Sinai, the incarnate God. IS
The First Christian Sermon.
est Peter in the first Christian ser.
mon ever preached had for his subject,
Christ is risen What was the result
of that sermon. Three thousand con
WINGED of the resurrection We're added
to the Christian faith. So great, SO
firm was this belief in the resnrrec-
ton, that Sunday was at once set aside.
to commemorate that event. 1t was
made the day of Christian worship,
Sunday worship is historical monu-l
ment to the resurrection.
Again, without the fact of the res
direction, how account for the conve
sion to Christianity of hundreds and
thousands of Jews and Gentiles? The
Jews were the most monotheistic peo-
pie on the face of the earth, people to
whom the worship Of human being
was abhorrent, who never would have
become Christians had they not recog-s
nized in Jesus, the God Of Sinai, by
life conquering death in His person.
Nor would the pagans have abandoned
religion of pleasure and a life of
sensuality for life of self-denial that
ended not unfrequently in martyrs
grave, had they not recognized Jesus,
by His resurrection as the Lord and
,giver of life.
Foundation of Christianity.
"The resurrection therefore is the
foundation Of Christian faith. Well,
may we say with st. Paul, If Christ
be not risen again, then is our preach
ing vain, and your faith also vain
q Cor. XIV, 14.) 1t Is the model of
our spiritual life. AS Christ died and
rose again to live with God and die no
more, SO we, dying to sin, should be-.
gin to live a new life and so preserve
in it as never more, with Gods help,
to stray from the path of virtue on
which we have entered. Is
Forty days after our SAVERS resur-
rection, He assembled into Heaven by
his own power, in the presence of His
disciples and many witnesses. The
ascension was announced prophetic
ally by the psalmist. Thou hast as.
cended on high; thou hast led captiy-
ity captive 1t was. foretold by Jesus
Himself, 4 ascend unto my Father
and your Father and to my God and
your Cod John Xxx, I'D During
the period between the resurrection
and the ascension, Jesus expounded
the Scriptures, instructed the apostles
and gave them his final commission.
Go therefore, teach We all nations, bap-
thing them in the name of the Father
| and the Son and of the Holy Ghost
(Matt. XxVHI, 49,
| The Ascension.
"Forty days after the resurrection,
l&Jesus assembled Mount Oliyet with the
| apostles and disciples to the number
of about 100. Having blessed them,
and whilst they were gazing at Him,
a cloud, glorious and Respondent, re-
ceiyed Him from their sight. showing
to all the spectators the majesty of
| the triumphal entry of Christ into His
heavenly kingdom. And while they
were beholding Him going up to heav-
en-, behold two men stood by them in
white garments who also said, Yemen
of Galilee, why stand you looking up
to heaven? This Jesus who is taken
tup from you into heaven, shall so
+! come, as you have seen Him going
into heaven (Acts /, 10-t1.)
7 Jesus by His visible ascension into
heaven confirmed the apostles in the
belief of His mission. He disahdsed
.1/T-,-