The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-11-21
THE INTFRMOtNTAIN AND COLORADO NOVEMBER

Are there not enough relics of the true cross In
existence to make hundreds of the original?
This is an utterly false statement of fact M.
Rohault de Fiery in 1870 refuted this calumny,
and his work has been summarized by Rev. James
Bellord in one of the Catholic Truth Society
pannhlets Estimating the size of the cross at Is
feet for the upright ~ feet tor the crossbeam,
~ inches for the breadth and inches for the
thickness, it would follow that 1t contained sos
cubic feet of timber, about 1.440 cubic inches
All the relies in the world fall far below this
amount. In all his long and arduous researches M.
de Fleury so far from finding enough relics OF
this kind to make three hundred true crosses"
could only discover, including 80 cubic inches
of notable relics that no longer exist, enough of
the sacred wood to make up bulk of about two
fifths of a cubic foot. (Cf The Month, March,
1882, vol. xiv, p. 35S.)
As to the finding of the cross, Cardinal New
man. while yet Protestant, discussed this fact IN
his essay on the Miracles of Early Ecclesiastical
History, ch. v sect. V, PIP. 2S6-326.
What is the good OF pilgrimages certain places
when God is everywhere?
Undoubtedly God is everywhere, but some places
are especially chosen by him to show forth his
power, goodness and mercy, and therefore
naturally dear to those who love him. When Wis
tied in the right spirit and not out of curiosity
CFollowing of Christ" Book lV, ch. u, they can
not fail to arouse sentiments of true DEVOTION
How many thousands of Christians have felt their
hearts burn with love for the Savior; how many
non Christians have learned for the first time the
mystery of the cross as they visited the different
cities of the Holy Land, once blessed by the pres
ence of Jesus Christ.
Every country too, has had its shrnes of the
saints of God, VIZ: Rome, Tours, Lourdes, ST. Al
bans Compostella, etc, where good souls have
prayed with greater fervor and great sinners have
done penance for their sins. As early the eighth
century pilgrimages, especially to the Holy Land
and to the tomb of the Apostles in Rome, were
made substitute the severe canonical Dpnanpa
(Pepicier, lndulgence). In the Old Testament also
we read of Ecana and Anna going every year to
pray at Silo Il. Kings l. l, 3, and the Jews used
to go every year to the temple at Jerusalem,
tom which our Lord himself observed Uuke ii, Al.
1t is the teaching of the Scriptures that prayer
has special efficacy IN certain places Gil Kings,
viii, 29). In fine, it answers need In human
ture. All people have special love and venera-
tions for the relics, houses and tombs of their
great men. No one objects to the thousands who
yearly visit the tomb of Washington at Mount Ver-
non, or of Napoleon at Paris; no one finds fault
with those who make pilgrmages to the houses
of Longfellow and Lowell in Cambridge or of
Hawthorne in Salem Why then, be so illogical
to deny Catholics the right to visit the shrines
and tombs of Christ and the heroes of Christs
church, the saints Of God?
Do you believe in personal devil?
Why does not God destroy the devil, if he is ON
why did god create Satan?
No believer in the Scriptures can deny the ex-
istence of personal devil Throughout the Old
and New Testaments there is mention of Satan,
Beal, Beelzebub (Loke X II; II Cor. vi, Is; Matt.
xN, 24), wicked q John ii, 13), proud q Tim.
iii, g. powerful (Eph. ii, 2; vi, 12), cruel Ouke
viii %; TX, 80; Peter " g. deceitfu (Gen. ill., 4;
II Cor XII IA; Eph. vi, II; IL Thess. ii, 81 spirit.
who tempted first parents in the Garden of
Eden (Gen. iii, y, David q Paral xxi, y, Job Ci,
D. Judas Quke xxi, 81, our Savior (Matt. iv, 1O),
and tempts all to his own eternal ruin of hell
q Peter V, s; Matt. XIV, A. Luke X, 18. CT Matt.
xxi, IA; Luke xxi, 81 !; John viii A xiv, 40; II
Cor. iv, 4; xi, 81
God did not create the devil. Out of his in
finite goodness he created angel, Lucifer, the
head of the angelic host to him freely and
love him forever. By refusing to pay God the
service and worship due him. Lucifer was cast
into hell to become the leader of the evil spirits
Why did not God give him another trial? We
simply do not know. Why does God allow him to
exist! Because III his infinite wisdom he made Lu-
cifer an immortal spirit and despite his power to
tempt men, God gives to every man sufficient grace
to resist. "God will not suffer you to be tempted
above that which you are able" q Cor. x, 13). We
might ask further question: Why does God al
low any wicked men to exist this earth to tempt
souls to hell 1t is part of the insoluble mystery
of evil God is not unjust for to all he gives
will and grace sufficient for the gaining of eternal
happiness.