The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-10-25

He is all good and all His creation is
good. Man cannot create anything.
Where did sin come from or originate?
2. Is it sufficient to say that sin is
negative quantity or quality of action?
8. Under the same statement of fact
as in number 1, how can | believe in
a Devil and the underworld? a. What
do you mean by purgatory? Where is
the scripturaI authority therefor?
How long is the soul in that place?
How could Christ say to the thief,
paradise" when the thief must pass
through the purgatory stage? 5.
When the sins of the soul are abso-
IuteIy forgiven and the account thereof
obliterated, would there be need of
pureatory?
and 2. The conclusion implied in
the premises herein set forth, namely,
that God is not the creator or author
of sin, is correct. Sin is a moral evil
and, as such, it cannot flow from an all
good source. 1t is also true that man
cannot create anything, if we use the
forming something out of nothing. In
this sense of the word, God alone can
be said to create" But man, as a
secondary agent, can be the author
and the source of many things, some
good and some bad. Now sin is
morally bad action, that is to say, an
action which is not in accord with the
divine law. The following definition
of sin given in the little catechism is
familiar to all: "Sin is any wilful
thought, word, deed or omission con-
trary to the law of God" In every
sinful action, two things must be con-
sidered-the substance of the action
and it's want of conformity to Gods
law. The physical action is some
thing positive. 1t produces an evil
effect which must be attributed to the
free will of the individual preferring
the things of earth to those of eter-
nifty. Sin is committed by the free
personal act of the individual will,
whether it be sin of commission or
of omission. The former is positive
act contrary to the law of God; the
latter is failure to do what is COM
manded. Even a sin of omission re-
quires positive act whereby one wills
to omit the fulfilling of precept, Or
at least, wills something incompatible
with it's fulfllment. Sin, therefore,
cannot be attributed to God but to
man, to the individual who knowingly
does something which is contrary to
the law laid down for his guidance by
Almighty God Who, being mans crea-
tor, has the right to prescribe rules
which he must obey. 3. We presume
that the expression underworld" is
here used to denote the evil spirits
associated with the Devil The Devil
and these bad angels were created,
not as devils and bad angels, but as
spiritual and angelic beings intended
for state of innocence and holiness
but who became evil through their own
act The Devil before his fall was
Lucifer, the brightest of the angels,
who with his followers, rose up in re-
bellion against God and were cast into
hell for all eternity. Their present
state of misery must not be attributed
to God, but to their own perverse dis
obedience to the will of God. 4. Pur-
gatory is place or state in the other
life where some souls suffer for a
time before being admitted to heaven.
To purgatory are consigned the souls
of those who die in the grace of God,
but without having offered full salts
faction for the temporal punishment
due to their sins. The souls in purga-
tory are not pure enough to be at once
admitted to heaven, nor bad enough
to be consigned to hell forever. In
purgatory they are cleansed from
whatever stain of sin may yet be
upon them. The length of time each
has to spend in purgatory depends
upon the amount of temporal punish
ment unexpiated at the moment of
death. AS soon as the soul has given
satisfaction to God, either through it's
own sufferings, or with the help of
the prayers and good works offered in
it's behalf by it's friends on earth, it
will at once be admitted to heaven.
Not only does reason postulate the
CA1SICnCS VI cuCA q p1dCO do pulSd
tory in the other world, but Holy
Scripture, by it's general teaching in
the Old and New Testaments, implies
the existence of place of purgation
after death. The Jews believed in
such a state and offered sacrifices for
the dead Christ did not condemr
this teaching, but rather confirmed it.
The more important scriptural allu-
sions to purgatory are as follows: "It
is therefore a holy and a wholesome
thought to pray for the dead, that they
may be loosed from their SINS" Gil
Mach. xii, 49,; "And / will bring the
third part through the fire, and will
refine them as silver is refined; and
l will try them as gold is tried" Zach.
xiii, 81; Bring my soul out of prison
that / may praise thy name; the just
wait for me until thou reward me-
Psalms 141, 81; "Amen, / say to you,
that thou shalt not go out from thence
until thou may pay the last farthing."
(Matt. v, 26; Luke xii, 59); "He that
shall speak against the Holy Ghost it
shall not be forgiven him neither in
this world, nor in the world to come"
Matt. xii, 32). 1t is true that the
word ''Purgatory" is not mentioned in
the Bible, but the references to such
a place are clear and definite and the
voice of the Church in all ages has
1T 4. 49,. -