The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-10-02

be condemned eternaliy to hell, when
the desires and passions of most every
person are in direct opposition to His
commandments?
God did not create man for the
purpose of condemning him to hell If
he proved disobedient. Man was
created for heaven, and it is only
mans wilful, constant and determined
disobedience that places him in danger
of eternal perdition. No one is lost
except the person who will not be
saved. You speak as though God had
no right to create man. Life is the
greatest natural possession man has,
and men universally will sell all other
goods in order to retain life. Far from
perpetrating an injustice in comforting
life, even without consulting the recipi-
ent, God is granting him the greatest
possible good. Again, you speak OF
Gods commandments as being opposed
to mans desires. Nothing is more
removed from the truth Most of the
commandments of God are based on
the precepts of the natural law. To be
reverent, sober and honest, pure and
truthful-surely these are not traits
opposed to mans dignity and worthy
desires. Moreover, why do you persist
in taking a one-sided view to the ques-
ton? Surprising you were engineer OF
a locomotive: | saw your train ap-
preaching, tagged it, and warned you
of a broken bridge ahead; suppose
repeated my warnings and called
others to substantiate my admonitions,
and went down on my knees and i'm
plored you not to drive on; and even
threw myself on the tracks and of
fered up my life that you might heed
me and be saved; suppose that not
withstanding my efforts and my sacri-
fee, you threw open the throttle and
sent the engine ahead and it crashed
through the bridge and you were
killed. Could you in justice place any
blame on me for having failed to save
your life? Or do you perhaps contend
that / should have taken a gun, OF
some other instrument, and SC
manned and injured you that you
could not have gone ahead? Apply
this to man and his Maker. God has
refused man nothing When man had
no being at all, God created him; He
made man His child in baptism; He
enriched man with faculties and pow
ers that place him far above the brute
creation and not far from the very
angels; God could not give man His
divine nature, so He made man tC
His own image and likeness when He
gave man an intellect and a will, g
heart and a conscience. In diverse
manners and manifold ways He taught
man his true dignity and real great
ness; He manifested to man His in
tention that man should dwell will
Him everlastingly in paradise; He
sent man warnings by voice of the
natural law and by protests of con
science; God sent prophets anC
patriarchs, kings and priests to advise
and warn man that the wages o
sin is death '-everlasting death; las
of all, God sent His only begotte1
Son, Jesus Christ, Who gave His life
that man might escape eternal death
The reprobate rejects all this, ant
turns deaf ear, and refuses to b.
saved. And you blame God either TO
having created man at all, or for Civ
ing him free will! The verdict of com
mon sense and little judgment will
hardly agree with your conclusions
To sum up: God did not create mora
evil and is in no wise responsible TO
it. God created all things good. Mora
evil proceeds from mems malice. Ma
therefore is responsible for it's begin
ming, it's continuance and it's conse
quences
Have priests the power to heal tn
sick?
1t is true that Christ gave His apos
ties power ito heal all manner Q
sickness, and all manner of disease
ito heal the sick, cleanse the lepel
raise the dead, and cast out devils.
But this was not an ordinary powe
nor did it constitute their real office
They were given the power to teac
and preach, to baptize and forgive sir
to administer sacraments and offe
sacrifice. The power of working mil
acles was bestowed ON the apostles a
an extraordinary gift. The mission G
Christ was for the souls of men, nc
for their bodies; so, too, Christ
Church is not school of medicine
but a society to teach men God
truth and Christ's salvation. The gil
of healing may assist this end, but
can be dispensed with. The priest ha
the power to bless the sick, and pra
over them and God may reward tn
faith of the sick person with restor;
ton of bodily health. Moreover, tn
priest is the minister of the sacramer
of Extreme Unction which, while it
principally for the soul, is also for tn
body. Miracles exist today: but the
are exceptional, and it is mistake t
make every person wonder-worke
1t can not, however, be denied ths
God often rewards the faith of simpl
and devout souls by granting thel
temporal favors.
What should one do If the Sacre
Host adheres to the palate, or I'll
teeth?
There is no absolute and imperatiy
teaching of the Catholic Church cor
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