The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-08-05

How can the souls in Purgatory
grant requests when they can not help
themselves?
1t is not true to state that the souls
in Purgatory grant our requests. All
our sutficiency is from God" and He
alone grants our requests. When we
pray to the saints we do not expect
that they can bestow gifts upon us
of their power, or that they obtain
our requests in virtue of their own
merit; we merely ask them to inter
cede for us before the throne OF God,
Who may be moved by their interces-
sion to hear our prayers. This same
Catholic principle must be applied to
devotion to the Poor Souls in Purga-
tory. 1t is matter of dispute,
whether the Poor Souls pray for us.
The Church has given no definite deci-
sion in the matter, and theologians
disagree on the subject. ST. Alphon-
sus sums up the question in these
words: The souls in Purgatory be-
ing beloved by God and confirmed in
grace, have absolutely no impeachment
to prevent them from praying for us.
Still, the Church does not invoke them
or implore their intercession because
ordinarily they have no cognizance OF
our prayers. But we may piously be-
heve that God makes our prayers
known to them When we speak OF
requests being granted through the
intercession of the Poor Souls, or
dinarily we mean, that because OF our
prayers in behalf of the Poor Souls
"a devotion pleasing to God and
recommended strongly by the Church
God deigns to grant our petitions.
Is there an indulgence granted for
a visit to the Blessed Sacrament?
An indulgence of 300 days can be
gained as often as visit is made to
the Blessed Sacrament and the Our
Father, Hail Mary and Glory be to
the Father is said five times, with
another Our Father, Hail Mary and
Glory be to the Father for the inten-
ton of the Holy Father.
Are women who enter the religious
life obliged to cut off their hair and
to keep it cut during their life in the
convent?
Women who enter the religious life
make three VOWS, solemnly promising
to observe the three virtues, poverty,
chastity and obedience. By poverty
they leave all things, promising to pos
sess nothing as their own. Even
the garb that one of them wears does
not belong to her as her personal
property. 1t is the property of the
community. They have all things in
common. This promise of leaving all
things is expressed by having the
head shorn, during the ceremony of
reception or profession. Thereafter,
from time to time, during her life in
the religious community the hair is
clipped.
Our present pastor wears a short
cape over his cassock. Does this in
dictate that he belongs to some dis
tinctiVe class among the clergy?
The cassock is the ordinary dress of
the priest, corresponding to the lay
mans coat 1t is by exception, based
on circumstances, that the priest does
not wear his cassock in public. His
long black coat, reaching to the knees,
takes the place of the cassock as a
street dress. Formerly it was custom
airy to wear over the cassock a cloak
that reached down even to the heels.
In modern times this article of dress
is seen in the cape that the priest
wears during some public services in
the church, such as the Asperges be-
fore the parochial Mass on Sundays.
The cape referred to in the above
question is sometimes worn by Doc
tors of Divinity and in some places it
is customary for the ordinary priest
to wear it.
Is it sin for a Catholic to keep
confectionery store open on Sunday
after Mass for the convenience of the
public? The community is small and
a considerable amount of business is
done on Sunday when the people come
to Church.
The Scribes and Pharisees were
most rigorous in the outward observ-
aRce of the Sabbath. They were even
scandalized when they saw Our Lord
heal an infirm man on the Sabbath
day. The Interpretation that Our
Lord gave them, concerning the COM
mand to keep holy the Sabbath Day,
holds good for all time; namely, the
Sabbath was made for man, not man
for the Sabbath. Both the occasion
and the words of the Divine Teacher
make it quite clear that God did not
intend to impose upon man the rigor-
GUS abstinence from all physical work
that the Pharisees so strictly observ-
ed. At the same time the divine
command states very clearly and
strongly that man is to do no work
on the Sabbath. The Church, guided
by the same Spirit of Truth that is
sued the first decree, and that inter
pretated it's meaning in Our Lords
words, forbids us under penalty of sin
to do on the Sabbath works that are
not necessary. The reason is very
clear The Sabbath is intended for
man; for his body and for his soul;
for his soul primarily it is true, but
also for his body.
The proposed question must be de-
cided, then, according to the necessity
created by the circumstances. If the