three centuries, have died as witnesses for the faith. In the course of the centuries of the Christian era 13,000,000 martyrs have attested with their life blood the truth of the Catholic faith. Could there exist a greater or more incontestable witness to the truth?
The red vestments used on the feasts of the apostles and martyrs ought to remind us how they gave their life and blood for love of Jesus.
The Growth of the Church. When the apostles died, a multitude of believers already existed in the various countries of the then known world, extending from India on the one side to the Atlantic Ocean on the other, and from the Upper Nile to the Danube.
Holy Scripture was written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Who put into the minds of the apostles and their disciples that which they wrote down in the sacred books. When the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament were written, our Blessed Lord partly fulfilled His promise: “The Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you" (see chapter LXVIII).
The Holy Scriptures and the Teaching of the Church. 1. Before any of the New Testament Scriptures existed, there were a great many Christians in Judaea, Samaria and the pagan world, for the Christian faith was not spread by the reading of the Scriptures, but by the living word and teaching of the apostles and their disciples, or, in other words, by the Church as a teacher. 2. If the infallible Church were not at hand to enlighten us, we could not know for certain what books belong to the inspired Scriptures, nor could we be sure that the Bible, as we have it, is complete and unfalsified. S. Augustine says: “I would not believe the Gospel itself, were I not directed thereto by the authority of the Catholic Church.” 3. That Church alone in which the Holy Ghost dwells can interpret the true meaning of the Scriptures. 4. Holy Scripture contains only a portion of the Christian revelation, for we know that the apostles did not write down everything that they taught. Therefore, the Scriptures are not the only source of faith, for there exists another alongside of it, namely the Tradition of the Church. From these two sources, Scripture and Tradition, the Church draws the doctrines of Christianity, and delivers them to us for our acceptance.
Application. Let us admire and venerate the holy apostles, for they were the friends of God, the truest benefactors of mankind, and the greatest, noblest and most devoted men who have ever lived. They accomplished a gigantic work, since as God’s messengers they converted the world, and laid the foundation for the raising and renovating of mankind. In spite of danger, persecution, and suffering they accomplished the great work which their Master had given them to do, and remained true to their calling even
