, and from that time became His constant
companions, witnessing His mighty works, listening to the words of
Heavenly Wisdom which fell from His Sacred Lips, and thus experiencing,
under the guidance of the Head of the Church Himself, such a training
as might best fit them for their superhuman labours[4]. [Sidenote:
Special instructions given them, and not understood until after the Day
of Pentecost.] A large portion of what is now stored up in the Holy
Gospel for the instruction of the whole body of Christians, was in the
first instance spoken to the Apostles with a special view to their
Apostolic vocation; to them it was "given to know the Mysteries of the
Kingdom of Heaven." Doubtless much of what they were thus taught
remained unexplained "Mysteries" to them until the Coming of the Holy
Ghost on the Day of Pentecost to "guide them into {6} all Truth," and
especially to instruct them in the real meaning of what had before
seemed to be "hard sayings" in their Master's Teaching.

[Sidenote: This Teaching continued after the Resurrection.]

Again, after our Blessed Lord's Passion and Resurrection, we read that
He was "seen of them forty days, speaking of the things pertaining to
the Kingdom of God[5]," i.e. to the Church, the Kingdom which, by the
agency of the Twelve Apostles, He was about to establish in this world.
No record is left us as to what these "things" were of which He spake
to them; but we cannot doubt that the Words of Divine Wisdom would
remain deeply engraven on their hearts, and be a treasure of strength
and counsel in the trials and perplexities of the untried path which
lay before them, the Holy Spirit "bringing to their remembrance" any
sayings of the Saviour which human frailty might have hindered them
from remembering[6].

[Sidenote: A commission given to the Apostles for all their official
acts,]

The Apostles received from the Great High Priest before His Ascension,
a commission to execute the various functions of the priestly office,
to baptize[7], to teach[8], to consecrate and offer the Holy
Eucharist[9], and to absolve[10]; besides a general and comprehensive
promise that all their official acts should be confirmed by Him, in the
words, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world[11]."
[Sidenote: but not exerted till after Pentecost.] We do not, however,
find that this commission was acted on by the Apostles before the day
of Pentecost; the Saviour's will was, that it should