are forgiven them (10); and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained (11)." This sacred breath was the sensible sign of what was wrought invisibly in them, and justified by anticipation the mysterious ceremonies which his Church should employ in the administration of Sacraments.

However, there remained one unbeliever to be convinced: "Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples, therefore, said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

This was laying down the law, as it were, for his master, and no one was less worthy of such a favor than he who ventured to exact it. But this amiable master would only listen to his own goodness, and thereby show us the full extent of his adorable condescension. "After eight days again, his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you. Then he saith to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands; and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said to him:" Thou art "My Lord and my God (12).

(10) The remission of sins is attributed to the Holy Ghost, as well as all the other effects of the divine goodness, because the Holy Ghost is the production of the will of the Father and of the Son, and that the object of the will is all good. The Holy Ghost is only given to the apostles, here, with reference to the remission of sins. Thus the gift which is made to them on this day has no interference with the gifts of understanding and of fortitude, and all the miraculous gifts which are promised to them, and which they shall receive upon the day of Pentecost.

(11) Since the power of retaining sins is joined to that of remitting them, those who are constituted the judges thereof, discriminate between those sins which should be remitted, and those which should be retained. This discrimination cannot be made without knowledge, and knowledge can only be obtained by confession; therefore confession is not only a matter of precept, but also of divine institution.

(12) These words, thou art, are not in the text. However, these words of St. Thomas have always been regarded as a confession of faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ. The enemies of this fundamental dogma have pretended that this was only a cry of surprise and admiration. This explanation has been condemned by the second Council of Constantinople. That explanation which we follow, in accordance with all tradition, is conveyed more impressively in the Greek and Latin languages, than in either the French or

ours.

Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed (13)."

If after that there still remained some unbelievers amongst the disciples, there were, at least, none such amongst the apostles. God had permitted their incredulity, because it was to be auxiliary to the faith of all ages. We have seen that they left no difficulty unexamined, nor proofs to be desired; they exhausted them all, and the cause of incredulity could never have been confided to less credulous men. How then can we still doubt the testimony which they have rendered regarding the resurrection of Christ, since they truly saw him with their own eyes, and touched him with their own hands?

Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and, that believing, you may have life in his name."

CHAPTER LXXI.

-

APPARITION BY THE SEA-SIDE. MIRACULOUS FISHING.-PETER APPOINTED PASTOR OF THE WHOLE FLOCK.-APPARITION UPON A MOUNTAIN OF GALILEE.--MISSION OF THE APOSTLES.-FINAL APPARITION AT JERUSALEM.-PROMISE OF THE HOLY

GHOST.-ASCENSION. CONCLUSION.

WHAT We are going to relate is not for the purpose of adducing evidence with regard to that which is already sufficiently proved.

(13) Because it is not necessary to have seen in order to have faith, which is, according to St. Paul's definition, the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not.-Heb. xi. Thus, St. Thomas, who saw and who touched Jesus Christ, when resuscitated, had not, properly speaking, that faith in the resurrection which we have without having seen. Wherefore it is that Jesus Christ declares us happier than Thomas, and even than the other apostles, who believed in the Saviour's resurrection solely on the testimony of their eyes and their hands. Yet Thomas made a very commendable act of faith in confessing his master's divinity, although he did not see it, and that it was only by the revelation of the Heavenly Father that he could, like St. Peter, know and believe it.

Its only object is to furnish those particular instructions which a pious and attentive reader may easily gather. (a) "After this, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And he showed himself after this manner. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas who is called Didymus, and Nathanael who was of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter saith to them: I go a fishing. They say to him: We also come with thee. And they went forth, and entered into the ship; and that night they caught nothing (1). But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them: Children, have you any meat? They answered him: No. He saith to them: Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find. They cast, therefore; and now they were not able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes. That disciple, therefore, whom Jesus loved, said to Peter: It is the Lord. Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat about him (for he was naked), and cast himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the ship (for they were not far from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fishes.

"As soon then as they came to land, they saw hot coals lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread (2). Jesus saith to them: Bring hither of the fishes which you have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three. And although there were so many, the net was not

(a) St. John, xxi. 1-24.

(1) The labor of a whole night had produced nothing for the disciples; one word from the Saviour filled their nets in a moment. But the Saviour does not say this word until they had toiled all the night long. In vain does man make efforts-success can come from God alone; but God grants success to those only who do their best. To toil, as if success depended upon our efforts alone, and still to expect success but from God alone, is the course which both reason and religion prescribe, and it equally avoids the two baneful extremes of presumption and indolence.

(2) They had toiled all the night; they were hungry-they had no fire, and apparently they were in want of bread. Much time would be requisite in order to procure it. Jesus Christ works a new miracle, in order that they may instantly find every thing that was necessary for them. God thinks of all; he can do all, and he will for those who place their confidence in him.

broken. Jesus saith to them: Come, and dine. And none of them who were at meat durst ask him: Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord (3). And Jesus cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish in like manner. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to his disciples, after he was risen from the dead (4)."

Simon Peter had taken a greater part than the others in this miraculous fishing, of which he was, as it were, the leader; but he knew not yet all the share which he was to have in carrying out his master's designs: in this he was to be the principal actor. His three denials were then to be atoned for by three protestations of love; in consequence of which he was to be confirmed in his office of shepherd of Christ's flock. To complete the favor, he was to receive an assurance that he should one day die for him whom he had denied, and efface the shame of his weakness by the glory of a generous martyrdom. "When therefore they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me more than these? He' saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs. He saith to him again: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs. He saith to him the third time: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because Jesus had said to him the third time: Lovest thou me? And he said to him: Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus said to him: Feed my sheep (5)."

(3) If he was to be recognized at sight, it seems that the expression should have been: Seeing that it was the Lord. He, therefore, appeared to them under another figure, in the way that has been already explained, and they did not see that it was he, but they knew it, because his miracles revealed him, and he himself had impressed their minds with the certainty that it was he.

(4) The Evangelist does not allude to the private apparitions, but only to those wherein Jesus showed himself, at one and the same time, to a considerable number of disciples. This was the third apparition of this sort.

(5) We have the explanation of this expression in these words of St. Bernard to Pope Eugenius (Book III. Of the Consideration, chap. viii.): "Who art thou? said the holy Doctor to him. Thou art the High Priest, the Sovereign Pontiff. Thou art he to whom the keys have been given-to whom the sheep have been confided. I agree that there are other porters of heaven, and other pastors of the flock; but, in you, these two

That which grieved him most was the apprehension lest his master should mistrust, not the sincerity, but the constancy, of his love, supposing that he were put to some proof similar to that in which he had so signally failed. Jesus reassures him, by promising him, with an oath,* that he shall thenceforward be generous and faithful. He added, therefore: "Amen, amen, I say to thee, when thou wast younger, thou didst gird thyself, and didst walk where thou wouldst. But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldst not. And this he said, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had said this, he saith to him: Follow me."

This figurative language was understood by him to whom it was addressed, and it excited in him a curiosity which the Lord did not then think proper to satisfy. "Peter turning about, saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also leaned on his breast at supper, and said: Lord, who is he that shall betray thee? Him therefore when Peter had seen, he saith to Jesus: Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith to him: So I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee? Follow thou me. This saying therefore went abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. And Jesus did not say to him: He should not die; but, So I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee (6) ?

*"Avec serment."

denominations are more glorious, inasmuch as their signification is of higher excellence when applied to you. The other pastors have their flocks apart, and each has his own. All the flocks have been confided to you. They are, in reference to you, but one flock under one pastor; you are not only pastor of the sheep, you are also the pastor of all the pastors. You ask me, how I prove this? By the Lord's own words. For to whom, I do not say of the bishops, but even of the apostles, have all the sheep been confided, in a manner as absolute and as universal as this: Peter, if thou lovest me, feed my sheep? And to what sheep does he allude? Is it of a particular people, of a city, of a country, of a kingdom? No, he simply says, my sheep. Who sees not that he does not merely designate some of them, but all taken together?"

Since Jesus Christ has said indefinitely to Peter: Feed my lambs, feed my sheep, we may conclude, that whoever does not recognize Peter for his pastor is neither of the lambs nor of the sheep.

(6) When the disciples thus explained the Saviour's words, he desisted from speaking, and we may say that the sound of his voice still rang in their ears. Can it be that they had so little memory, as to imagine that he had just said these very words: He dieth