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"All These Were Persevering In One Mind In Prayer, With The Women
And Mary The Mother Of Jesus.
The Acts of the Apostles give us an account of the event.
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' When
the days of Pentecost were accomplished they were all together in
one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a
mighty wind coming; and it filled the whole house where they were
sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues, as it were of
fire, and it sat upon every one of them. And they were all filled
with the Holy Ghost; and they began to speak with divers tongues
according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak.' [84]
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The sound from heaven, like that of a mighty wind, was an external
sign of the mysterious and powerful action of the Holy Spirit; and
at the same time the tongues of fire which rested upon each of the
Apostles symbolized what was to be accomplished in their souls.
It happens not infrequently that a great grace is preceded by some
striking perceptible sign which arouses us from our inertia; it is
like a divine awakening. Here the symbolism is as clear as it can
be. As fire purifies, enlightens and gives warmth, so the Holy
Ghost in this moment most deeply purified, enlightened and
inflamed the souls of the Apostles. This was truly the profound
purging of the spirit. [85] And St. Peter explained that this was
the fulfilment of what the prophet Joel had foretold:
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'It shall
come to pass in the last days (saith the Lord) I will pour out my
Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy.... And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' [86]
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the Holy Ghost already dwell in the souls of the Apostles, but by
this visible mission [87] He came into them to increase the
treasures of His grace, of the virtues and the gifts, giving them
light and strength in order that they might be capable of
witnessing to Christ even to the ends of the earth, and at the
peril of their lives. The tongues of fire are a sign that the Holy
Spirit enkindled in their souls that living flame of Love of which
St. John of the Cross speaks.
Then were the words of Christ fulfilled:
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'The Holy Ghost whom the
Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and
will bring to your mind whatsoever I shall have said to you.' [88]
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Then the Apostles began to speak
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'in divers tongues the wonderful
works of God,'
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so that the foreigners who were witnesses of this
marvel,
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'Parthians and Medes, Elamites and inhabitants of
Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia... Jews,
Cretes and Arabians... were all amazed and wondered, saying... We
have heard them speak in our own tongues.' [89]
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It was a sign that
they were now to begin to preach the Gospel to the different
nations, as our Lord had commanded them
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'Go ye, and teach all
nations.'[90]
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