The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-01-11

life consists in the suggestions and
temptations to sin which these evil
spirits are allowed to make directly
or indirectly to our mind and will.
This teaching has been unchanging
in the tradition of the Church from
the Gospel narrative of the tempta-
ton of Christ Our Lord in the wilder
ness by Satan even down to the well
authenticated cases of the attacks of
the evil spirits on the Blessed Cure
of AIRS in our own days. Turning now
from the activities of these vast king
doms of spirits, good and evil, we
may ask what are our relations with
that other great and ever-groWing
multitude of disembodied spirits, that
is to say, the souls of all those who
have departed this life, whether in
grace or in sin. Concerning these,
the Church teaches us that God allows
the blessed souls in heaven to know
what passes on earth, and to be inter
ested in the fate of those living. Like
wise, the holy souls, who are temper
arily detained in purgatory, most prob
ably are similarly endowed with this
knowledge of what passes here below
and with the vicissitudes of their fell
low creatures, and more particularly
of their kinsfolk and friends; and
though these souls can no longer
pray or merit for themselves, it is
held by great theologians that they
are allowed to exercise some degree
of intercession on our behalf. The
manifold good offices which living
men are constantly receiving from
the world of holy spirits, whether the
angelic hosts or the disembodied spir-
it's of the just, require from us in
return corresponding Offices. Towards
the holy angels and the saints and
blessed in heaven, we have tribute
to pay of homage, veneration, and de-
votion. Towards the souls in purga-
tory our position is reversed, and we
living here on earth are, by Gods
generous mercy, allowed very greatly
to assist them and to shorten the
weary time of their purgation by
offering up for them our prayers and
good works of every kind.
Communion Between the Spirit,
World and Man.
In this great work of charity the
blessed spirits in heaven are also en-
gagged. The constant communion be
tween the spirit world and mankind
is normally and purely spiritual or
intellectual, i. e., non-material one
Yet there are undoubtedly rare cases
where God allows spiritual beings,
whether good or bad, to make their
presence known and even to com.
municate with living men by impress
or touch. Now, the essential and
most pernicious element of modern
Spiritism is precisely this unlawful
trafficking with, or seeking to traffic
with, spirits, whether good or bad
whether human, angelic, or diabolic
in their nature. It is begotten of 9
morbid and fearfully dangerous curl
Osity, like that or our 1rst parents, &c
know those hidden things which Goo
does not see fit to make known tC
us, and therefore to seek such knowl
edge is to act contrary to and to sir
against the Divine Will. The Church
inf all ages has sternly reprobated ant
forbidden all such superstition. Blu
is it not only the sinfulness of these
practices that makes them to deserve
the warnings and condemnations O.
Holy Church. There liz no doubt tina
the pursuit of spiritistic practices hal
a deplorable effect upon the minds
and even the bodies of its votaries
The most appalling Of these effects il
the weakening of the will power. No
theologians only, but many expert
enced scientific and medical authori
ties are agreed upon these sad facts