The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-04-19
INVOCATION OF SAINTS.

Proverbs (26-5) says: Answer 100
according to his folly, lest he lmagln
himself TO be wise Having profoun'
regard for the wisdom of Solomon W.
will follow his suggestion in the presen
case, and ask the editor OF the loea
American question of the same trent
of his own. Can you show US pas
sage in the Bible in which Coo com
mands us to keep the Sunday holy, OF
a passage which abolishes the positive
command to keep Saturday holy?
If you can find no text commanding
you to keep Sunday holy, why do you
keep it and insist on others keeping II
And IT you can find no passage abollsh-
ing the command to keep SATURDAY
holy, why do you break once week
the command, Remember to keep holy
the Sabbath day''-that is, Saturday?
Initiating your generous example, we
will pay you $50 if you produce any
text in the Bible commanding the OBJ
servance of Sunday, or any text aool-
iShing the observance of Saturday.
The lesson which we wish to inject
| into your head is this. If the silence
of the Bible on praying to the saints
implies that we should not pray to
them, then the silence of the Bible on
| Sunday observance implies That we
should not observe that day. If you
reject appeals to the best members OF
| our race because the Bible is silent on
the subject, you must reject Sunday
observance for the same reason.
Are you ready to accept the logical
consequence implied in your question!
We think not. Then you will see how
exceedingly foolish or tricky your
question is. 1t implies that we must
do nothing and believe nothing except
what Nua6 fin Y,HoH in the Rihle.
The mere statement of your position
as indicated by your question is enough
to expose its fallacy. You believe that
a balloon filled with gas will ascend If
left to itself. Show us passage in
the Bible that tells you this. You eat
meat on Friday; where have you
Bible command for doing so? We all
believe many things that are not found
in the Bible, and do not expressly COM
things too-that are not expressly com
manded in it. Observing Sunday and
praying to the saints are instances in
point. You do the former without BIZ
BILE command, and Catholics do both
without such command.
But what reason have Catholics for
praying to the saints?
They have that reason which is called
practical common sense; the same rea-
son that you have to ask the prayers
of your brethren. You ask their pray
ers because you believe they can hear
you, and that in their charity they will
pray to God for you. Catholics ask
the prayers of the saints for the same
reason, namely, because they believe
that their departed brethren can hear
US, and that death has not killed their
loving interest in our eternal welfare
or their influence with God. who has
taken them into his immediate pres
ence, where they can pray to him fac
to face in our behalf.
But how to the saints hear us? We
do not know how" they hear us; nor
do we know how we hear each other
here on earth. How a thought or a
desire can be made to pass from one in
telligence to another in this world by
means of air vibrations is just as great
a mystery as is the how an intelligence
here on earth can Impress its thought
or desire on an Intelligence in another
condition of existence. If you can eX-
plain the mystery how we hear each
other. you will supply us with a key by
which to explain how the saints hear
us.
1t will not do to tell us that the
tongue and lips produce air waves
which strike the drum of the ear and
dllCGI SOlilC ucilCdle IltINE III lilt gray
matter of the brain; that is no key,
for it does not reach the. problem at
I'll. The real problem is. how can an |
air wave or the vibration of a nerve /
a thought or desire from one |
to another, whether near :
Or far? How Canaan intelligence make |
known its state of volition to another !
on the other side of the |
globe by means of an electric spark on |
/ piece of iron wire? When you answer /
hese questions so that we can under |
stand the manner of thought transfer !
,nce. we will tell you how the saints !
lear our prayers and know our de-
tires.
But, after all, the fact that thought
an be transferred from intelligence to
is of more concern to us
han the manner Of it. And the fact
hat those who have passed beyond the
ell called death can know the mental
tates and acts of those on earth is
lear enough from passages in the
Bible. In chapter xviii of the first book
t Samuel or Kings is related the inter
lew between Saul and Samuel at En-
or Saul wanted to consult Samuel,
Who was dead. He went to Endor to
ee the witch who lived there. He said
0 her: Bring me up Samuel She
id so, and Saul bowed his face to the
round and adored. And Samuel said
D Saul Why hast thou disturbed my
est, that should be brought up?' And
aul said: 1 am in great distress, for
ne Philistines fight against me and God
: departed from me- Therefore.
have called thee that thou mayst tell
lie what ] shall do" And then
amuel foretold him that he would be
into the hands of his enemies
nd that he and his sons would be dead
he next day.
Now. it is evident from these Bible
assages that the thought and desire
wicked Saul and of the medium of !
ndor We're transferred to and i'm
ressed on the mind of the dead Sam I
Ell, and in compliance with them he E
JADE himself present to Saul, rebuked |
i'm for his sins and foretold his death.
therefore,, the thoughts ana wishes of ,
he living can be known to the dead. :
we vii now take a case from the
ew Testament. 1t is found in Acts
, 80, ~. 40. holy woman by the !
anne of Tabitha or Dorcas died. Her c
lends sent for st. Peter. He came /
nd, kneeling down. he prayed. and
lrning to the body of the dead Tab
ha, he said: "Tabitha, arise! And f
lie opened her eyes, and. seeing Peter @
lie sat UP. And, giving her his hand '
lifted her up, and when he had called
e saints and widows, he presented t
r, alive. And it was made known u
roughout Joppe, and many believed
the Lord y y
1t is clear from this that the soul OF
e dead Tabitha became aware of the T
III OF Peter when he addressed her O
I'd by the help of Gods power com Q
led with it. 1t is no use to speculate
how she heard Peter. The fact that a
e did so proves that the dead can s
ar, or know in some way. the n
oughts and desires of the living. The >
ct being eSta hlished the 11,rStario,,r l,