The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-11-17
POPULAR APoLoeETIcs.
Adapted from the German of Rev.
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
"a. Balaam's ASS.

Objection: The materialist, Feuer-
bach. Ct 1922 says: IF |, like Ba-
laam, hear an ass speak, / do not
know whether am an ass or whether
the ass is man.
Answer: Father Tilmann Pesch,
S. j., has the following to say to this
remark: 1T is Indifferent whether
it is easier for the infidel philosopher
to consider himself an ass or God the
Creator and Miracle-worker. = In
such case would act more reason
ably. At first | would be astonished,
for which no one could blame me;
then would investigate the case
very closely, SO as not to be the VIC
tim of deception or fraud. After es-
tablishing the fact, / would carefully
weigh and consider the words spoken
to judge from them and other circum-
stances whether a good or evil spirit
was the originator of this phenome-
non surprising the powers of nature.
If | could not arrive at a reasonable
certainty about the fact and it's cause,
l would not believe in a miracle. But
if the fact would be established be-
yond reasonable doubt, / would be-
lieve, and not, like Feuerbach, from
prejudice, doubt whether / am an
ass or whether the ass is man."
How weak the so-called sstrong
minds" are, appears from the saying
of Rousseau Ct 1873: IF 1 should
witness the raising of dead person
to life / believe / would
sooner become insane than believ-
ing"
1t is not forbidden, besides other
explanations, to assume that God pro-
duced the sounds in the ears of Ba-
laam, without that the ass really
spoke. (Cf st. Thomas, 2 2, gu. 173
and 8, gu. 76, a. 81.
35. Limits of the Powers of Nature.
objection: To know whether some
thing surpasses the laws of nature
we would have to know the limits of
the powers of nature. But who will
determine these limits? Almost every
year they are widened as conse-
quence of new discoveries. Who,
for example, would have thought of
the wonders of the Roentgen rays
.(X-rays) twenty-five years ago? Tin
a similar way speak Spinoza, Rous-
seau, Kant and others).
Answer: To know whether some
thing surpasses the powers of nature
it is not necessary to know what the
various powers of nature can effect;
it is sufficient to know in each case
what the powers of nature evidently
can not do.
1T is true we can not determine
how great is the power of magma
ton on the body: but we know for.
certain that the Imagination can not
give sight to a man born blind We
do not know how far the powers of
invention will go to move massive
bodies over land and see, on the earth
and in the air; but we know for GER
tain that on one can without help
raise himself to heaven, walk on the
water, calm storms by mere word
and pass through closed doors. We
do not know how long one can lie in
a trance; but we know for certain
to life by mere natural powers. y
(Hettinger Ct 1900, Apologize, vol. 1,
lecture 49,.
A boy can carry so pounds, young
man $50, strong people several hun
dred; the athlete Milo Owed in the
sixth century before Christi carried
on his shoulder a COW through the
stadium at Olympia. Samson carried
away the gates of the city. How
much could perhaps the giant Goliath
carry? The limits of human strength
have not yet been discovered.
And still there are things that are
without doubt beyond these limits
No man will take a Krupp cannon Xix,
"a shotgun on his shoulders or will
raise st. Peters Church at Rome will
one hand.
So certain things are without donb
beyond the boundaries of mere nat
ural forces, as certain as Paris i
outside the boundaries of German
or of the United States.
Even though l may not be able t
determine the exact boundaries of re
and orange in the rainbow, still ca
plainly distinguish between red an
orange.
| do not know all the thousands q
laws of the various states; but
know for certain that theft is beyon
the limits of the permissible. VIII
would ever think: If / know all law
perhaps there would be found pc
mission to steal $1,000?
A reasonable man will never hop
with Tyndall Ct 1889 that "a tim
may come when men will be able I
raise the dead to life?" Fragment
p. 63). Such 'hopes" can only b
entertained by an infidel who con
mits intellectual suicide.