The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-01-18

Those wayside shrines and crosses
are the usual expressions of Catholic
devotion and faith. In our country,
we place them in the churches and
in our homes: in Catholic countries
they are placed everywhere, in the
homes. at crossroads, in the fields,
wherever people are apt to meet or
congregate. Our faith is a living
force, and not an abstract principle; 1t
influences, lifts and enters into every
crevice Cf our lives. Hence, Catholic
faith dictates that the symbols OF that
faith be kept ever present. In the
sections OF France where the fighting
has taken place. the people are Catho,
lie and share that faith and make use
of those symbols. On their way to
work in the morning, they pass the
principal square, or certain cross
road: there they sec the figure OF
Christ and they bow their heads in
PRAYER and ask His assistance for the
DAYS labor; when they return at even
ing. the same Figure 9reets them and
they say q prayer Of Thanksgiving FOR
the fruits of the days labor: wherever
they turn, they are reminded that God
is present that they are His children,
that He has q care over them, that
Christ's redemption comes down
through the ages, that Christ's Mother
is deserving of the veneratlOn OF
Christ's followers. that His Saints are
our brothers and can intercede for us.
l. IL To nth
prayer. to attend Mass, and to receive
the sacraments. These waysde cross
ns and shrines mean that the religion
OF the people is not confined TO formal
hvmn-Singing nor eXtempOraneOuS
PRAYER. nor the set sermon; it is a
force that touches life and is present
on every stage and at every phase of
their lives.
Does the Roman Catholic Church az
firm or deny that there is a place
called Hell, an everlasting lake of fire
and birthstone, where the wicked are
consigned to eternal torment?
The Church teaches that there is a
Hell, see Matthew XIV, Al; Mark ix,
"a. 45: Mark iii, %; First Corinthians
vi, $40; Second Thessalonians i, 8:
Jude 10, etc. With regard to the ex-
act sort of punishment suffered Arch
bishop Kenrick in his Dogmatic The
ology (Tract Y. Oh. 81 says: "Of the
kinds of punishments which the con-
demned undergo, the Church has put
forth no definition. No one has salts
factorily explained what punishments
are designated by the name of fire in
the Scriptures. 1t is sufficient to re-
gard the suffering as proceeding from
the condition in which sinners are
placed as being remote from the King
dom of heaven. 1t is not necessary to
conceive of God positively innicting
pain
Have the moral and ethical code CT
the Bible and the conception of God
ever undergone change for the bet
ter.
The first part of this question is too
indefinite to permit of an accurate
answer Tue conception Of God has
never changed essentially. 1t has
been amplifed by revelation 50 that
those living in the Christian era have
had a more enlarged idea Of the Cod
head, but it is doubtful if such an addi-
ton may be described as "a change
for the better"
Did God command Moses to make
war against the neighboring people
and to perpetrate such horrible afro
cities as depicted in the Bible?
Most assuredly He did.
Do you believe that Joshua stopped
the sun and moon also?
Much depends on what is meant
here by the word stopped What
occurred was that during the battle
the sun, moon and earth maintained
their relative positions unchanged.
What have you to say about Jonah's
soicurn in the whales stomach?
Simply this In the Prophecy of
Jonas we read Now the Lord prepar-
Su Il great ISL W SN dilOW up
and Jonas was in the belly of the fish
three days and nights. -. And
the Lord spoke to the fish and it vomit-
ed out Jonas upon the dry land
Those of us who accept the Bible as
the written word of God must take
this recital as it is.
When Mass is offered for a de-
parted soul is the Gloria said? Is the
Last, Blessing given?
When the Mass is a Requiem
when black vestments are worn
neither the Gloria is said nor is the
last blessing given. If other colored
vestments are used, then the rubrics,
or rules, of the Church prescribe &C
cordingly: the priest follows the direc-
tions for each Mass according to the
festival commemorated.
If person forgets his PRAYERS in
the morning and says them in the
after Don, should he confess this on1is-
sion.
1t would be better to confess this
omission. as it may indicate neglect
or carelessness in deferring the morn
ing prayers to later in. the day.