became a Christian only by the prescibed rite of Baptism, so could he become an apostle of Christ only through the rite of consecration, administered to him, at the command of the Holy Ghost, by the chief pastors of the Church of Antioch, whom the apostles had already ordained by prayer and the imposition of hands. By this consecration Paul was ordained to be a bishop, and received the power, in his turn, to consecrate other bishops, and to ordain priests. Thus we see Paul on his return journey exercising this power, and appointing pastors in all the various churches.
Ember days. We read that the apostles who were to be consecrated, and those commanded to consecrate them, fasted in preparation for the holy rite. True to this apostolic practice, the Church still commands the bishop who is about to ordain priests, as welt as those who are going to be admitted to the priesthood, to prepare themselves by prayer and fasting. She also commands all the faithful to fast on the emberdays, at which season holy orders are, as a rule, conferred, and she desires that on those days the faithful should be asked to offer up prayers to God, to send good priests into His Church.
The object of miracles. Holy Scripture says that “the pro-consul, when he had seen what was done (that is, the miracle worked on the sorcerer), believed, wondering at the doctrine of the Lord”. He had hitherto given ear to the sorcerer, because of his assumption of supernatural knowledge. Now, however, by means of the miracle worked by St. Paul, he perceived that God was with the holy apostle, and that what he taught came from God, and was, therefore, “the doctrine of the Lord”.
Faith is the primary condition of justification. This is showm to us in the words used by St. Paul in his first sermon at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13, 39): “In Jesus Christ every one (whether Jew or Gentile) that believeth (in our Lord Jesus Christ and His doctrine) is justified.”
Sins against faith. This chapter puts before us several examples of the various ways of sinning against faith.
1. Idolatry. This sin was committed by the Lystrians, when they wished to offer sacrifice and pay divine honour to the two apostles.
2. Superstition. This was the sin both practised and taught by the Jewish sorcerer, who claimed supernatural knowledge for himself, and ascribed supernatural power to his magical arts.
3. Unbelief. After St. Paul’s first sermon the Jews of Antioch in Pisidia seemed inclined to accept the Christian faith; but when, at his second sermon, they perceived that the Gentiles were flocking into the Christian Church, they set themselves against the faith, and persisted in unbelief. The cause of their unbelief was jealousy, born of pride. Their Jewish dignity was offended, because the despised Gentiles were
