The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-10
PASTORAL LETTER
RIGHT REVEREND BISHOP COR.
BETT OF cRooksToN, MIMI,
WRITES IN PART AS FOLLOWS
ON sUPERsTlTIOUS PRACTICES.

WRITES IN PART AS FOLLOWS
ON sUPERsTlTIoUs PRACTICES
| Dearly Beloved Brethren:
| Human beings can verify sin against
| the virtue of religion either by becom
| ing guilty of false worship or by in.
| Producing foreign element into ap
proved worship. The exposition to
| generation of known bogus relics, the
publication of spurious miracles, the
| misrepresentation of biblical events,
the attachment Of certain efficacy
apart from legitimate hope of a spe-
cial protection, to particular practices
of devOtiOns constitute the evil of
superstition. The inordinate exercise
of religion assuredly leads individuals
to idiOtic fOllieS, such as attributing a
special power to things, numbers, or
days as lucky or unlucky, or the alb
sOlute belief Of salvation in practicing
certain devOtiOns, or thus trusting to
particular objects without any. real
foundation, though prescribed Chris
tan duties suffer neglect. Supersti-
ton, the enemy of genuine religion. is
attributing to objects powers they do
not possess by nature, the prayers of
the Church, or divine ordinance. The
great guilt of superstition lies in the
fact of attributing to creatures what
belongs to God
Spirtsm:
Spiritism, renewal Of pagan prac-
tees, means the belief that the liv-
ing can and do communicate with the
dead and the various devices by which
such a communication is attempted.
The blot of the age, despite its boast
ed enlightenment, is that the lettered
champion, in no small number, this Oc-
cult art through sheer religious ig-
norance. This evil includes all dab
bling in the supernatural against the
divinely established authority rang
ing from fake trance mediums
to downright diabolical possessions.
Wonderful events, are, indeed, ac-
complished through spiritism beyond
the realm of natural order, but evident
ly not by the power Of God but the Sc
cret workings of Satan, the pro
| nounced enemy of both God and man
The Existence of Evil Spirits:
Holy Scripture af1irms that Satan
| appeared in paradise, also to holy job
| on1 70 Christ Tocuc i'm tho dosart Xvii
| spirits have utilized human agents on
| various occasions. Reliable mission
aries recount, in no uncertain terms
the activity Of the spirits Of darkness
| in pagan lands. But the presence Of
| Christianity in country produces the
salutary effect of weakening their ne
| farious influence Where religion de
clines, there spiritism fiourishes. The
| convincing fact of the existence O.
| demons stands forth from the terrible
sentence Our Lord, the Infinite Judge
will pronounce at the last judgment
depart from Me you cursed into ever
lasting fire which was prepared TO?
the devil and his angels Matt. %
Al. Christ drove the devils from thu
possessed. Luke s, 20. He said, more
over, these signs shall follow then
that believe in my name, they shall
cast out devils" Mark 16, II. st. Pc
ter, the Prince of the Apostles, states
Our adversary, the devil, as a roarin!
lion, goeth about seeking whom h
may devOur" Peter ), s. st. John say
"he that committeth sin is of the dew
for the devil sinneth from the begin
ming For this purpose the Son of CO.
appeared that he might destroy tn
work of the devil ] John 3, s. Sue
testimonies amply refute the moder1
theory of the nOn-eXistence of devils
a fact so odious and so troublesom
to this age of pleasure seeking, liceT
, tiousness, debauchery, and irreligior
The Power of the Devils.
Though numerous angels fell wit
Lucifer in their rebellion against tn
sovereign Lord and Master, and const
uuently became devils, nevertheless
they retained their high, bright an
superior nature Almighty God b.
: slowed on angels a greater unde
= standing, a deeper knowledge an
more wonderful powers than on mel
D Expert readers are they of all GU
D ward signs of thought. The posse
\ sion of their natural powers enable
n them to see the numbers of years pc
n sons may live from their constitution
n | food, climate and health. They ma
n | foretell famine, storms and cart
quakes, but without certainty, becaus
n all such may be frustrated by God ar
the supplication of the people. A ce
tain foresight of future happening
demons may derive from human te
denotes, the actual circumstances ar
natural course of things, but on a
' count of human freedom other actor
, may occur. Without a special revel
ton, spirits cannot know the real +
ture, for God alone is cognizant the1
of, and those persons to whom He
~ pleased to reveal real future even
and hidden secrets, as to the no
prophets, whom He sent to announ
His Divine Will to mankind. AS pu
spirits devils can see, know and
- numerous things beyond mans abilit
but they cannot really determine a,
=, regulate the future, as God alone