The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 184

THE APOSTOLATE

144 stood.

Taken

comfort for us

word has not the least Lord has prayed only for these then

in the current sense, this ;

for then the

who had the privilege of personally hearing the apostles, and who were converted by their verbal testimony. We are entirely excluded. But if this petition be taken in the sense indicated above, as tho Christ would say, " I pray not for My apostles alone, but also for them who through their testimony shall believe on Me, now and in all ages and lands and nations," then it acquires widest scope, and contains a prayer for every child of God called even now and from our own households. This unique significance of the apostolate is so deeply embedded in the heart of the Kingdom, that when in the Revelation of St. John we get a glimpse of the New Jerusalem, we see that the city has twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles living,

—

Lamb Rev. xxi. 14. Hence their significance is not tranand temporary, but permanent and including the whole Church. And when its warfare shall be ended and the glory of the New Jerusalem shall be revealed, even then, in its heavenly bliss, the Church shall rest upon the very foundation on which it was built here, and therefore bear, engraven on its twelve foundations, the names of the holy apostles of the Lord. The apostle Paul considers the apostolate so glorious and exalted that in his Epistle to the Hebrews he applies the name of Apostle to the Lord Jesus Christ. " Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." The meaning is perfectly clear. Properly speaking, it is Christ Himself calling and testifying in His Church. But as the white ray of light divides itself into many colors, so does Christ impart Himself to His twelve apostles, whom of the

sient

He

has set as the instruments through

with His Church.

whom He

has fellowship

Hence the apostles stand not each by

himself,

but together they constitute the apostolate, the unity of which is If we should St. Peter nor in St. Paul, but in Christ. wish to comprehend the whole apostolate in one, it must be He in whom is contained the fulness of the twelve the Apostle and High

found not in

—

Priest of our profession, Christ the Lord.

Not

we be

until

we

fully grasp these thoughts

able to understand the epistles of

his spiritual conflict to maintain the

divine mission.

and

St.

live in

them

shall

Paul, and appreciate

honor of the apostolate for his

Especially in his epistles to the Corinthians and

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen