Conferences on the Virtues
By Fr. Bruno Cocuzzi, ocd
Number 80
Séances, Ouija Board, etc.
Last month’s
conference ended with the mention of Séances and the Ouija Board, two forms of
Divination that we in the United States have all heard about. Perhaps we even took part in playing with
the Ouija Board, as if it were as innocent a game as Monopoly. Our new Catechism of the Catholic Church,
which contains an excellent, though very brief, treatment of Divination (#s
2115-2117), does not mention Séances or the Ouija Board specifically. My textbook, drawing upon authoritative
teachings of the Church, has the following to say about the phenomena
associated with such forms of Spiritism and the morality for taking part in any
of them:
1. It
seems to be well established that the extraordinary happenings which are
produced at Séances are utterly deceptive and caused by fraudulent techniques
(hidden apparatus, sleight of hand) used by Mediums (the ones who conduct the
Séances), who exploit the vivid imaginations, the credulity and the grief
(especially) of clients who are seeking to communicate with their dear departed
loved ones.
[It
was the Master Escape Artist, Houdini, who was responsible for exposing the
fraudulent and deceptive practices used by Mediums at Séances. As I read in an article about him in the Readers
Digest over 20 years ago, he was grieving deeply over the loss of his
mother, and sought to communicate with her in an effort to assuage his grief
and find some consolation. Because
Séances were very popular at that time, and Mediums claimed that they could
evoke the souls of the departed and put them into communication with their
loved ones still on earth, he decided to avail himself of their services. Almost immediately he perceived the
deception, and thereafter devoted himself to exposing them as frauds. I believe that is why my textbook, which
cites the Baltimore Catechism, is able to say that it seems well
established that Séances are all utterly deceptive].
2. Hence
they sin gravely who pass themselves off as Mediums as well as those who
actively participate in the techniques used at séances to evoke spirits.
They
also sin gravely who go to séances for the express purpose of communicating
with departed spirits.
Ordinarily,
passive participation at a séance would be a non-grievous sin, especially if
done out of curiosity or for fun, and even though a participant has expressly
denied the effectiveness of such a practice.
The reason given is that to do so is to foster something that is
intrinsically evil. But if grave
scandal is given by such passive participation, the sin could also be grievous.
3. The
phenomenon of the Ouija Board moving to spell out answers to questions can be
explained by the natural forces communicated to it through the fingers placed
upon it by the persons consulting it.
Akin
to use of the Ouija Board is the practice of people sitting on three sides of a
card table with the palms of their hands placed lightly upon it, and commanding
Rise, table, Rise! When the two legs on
the open side of the table rise and remain elevated, questions are asked and
are allegedly answered by a determined number of knocks. This also is ascribed to natural forces
communicated through the palms of the ones seated around the three sides.
Both
of these forms of divination are dangerous even though empty and of no
usefulness, not even as an amusing pastime.
The reason being that answers to questions can be sought that offend
against charity and decency, and an attempt may be made through them to communicate
with spirits.
If
it turns out that effects are caused that cannot be ascribed to natural forces,
there is a strong possibility that there is demonic intervention.
Question
4 – Vain Observance and Magic
Vain
Observance is defined as the use of some thing or technique
to obtain a result that by its nature that thing or technique is utterly unable
to achieve. This, of course, differs
from frequentation and use of Sacraments and Sacramentals.
The symbolic
gestures and the words used in conferring the Sacraments, in and of themselves,
considered as merely ritual practices, are also unable to achieve their
supernatural effects of conferring divine Grace. However, they do so because given that power by our Divine Savior
Jesus, who instituted them, and Who acts through them.
Sacramentals
(Holy Water, religious articles blessed by a Priest, certain devotional
practices) likewise are resorted to for the purpose of fostering growth in the
divine Life of Grace in our souls.
These, too,
considered in and of themselves, are unable to produce their supernatural
effects. But again, their efficacy
comes from Our Lord through His Bride, the Church, to whom He granted the power
to make them instrumentalities through which Jesus Himself confers
graces. That is, the use of them are
the occasion for divine outpouring of spiritual blessings upon the users.
Vain Observance
usually has to do with acquiring [natural] knowledge or information, obtaining
cures, and gaining wealth.
Magic
is Vain Observance that explicitly relies on the help of evil spirits for the
purpose of working miracles that will impress upon others the exalted
importance and power of the one who works them, or for some other merely
personal advantage or privilege.
Akin to Magic
is Sorcery, which is Vain Observance that relies upon demonic assistance
to gain control over another human being, either to harm or to kill, or to gain
unfair advantage over that person. Voodoo
and the giving of love potions are examples of this form of Vain
Observance.
Like
Divination, Vain Observance and Magic are sins of Superstition. And like Divination, are not necessarily
grievous (mortal) sins. Circumstances
that diminish the gravity are:
1. Ignorance
of the laws that govern natural phenomena and/or divine law. Someone laboring under such ignorance tends
to believe whatever he is told by older people or people who speak
authoritatively.
2. Irrational
(superstitious) Fear and Empty Hope.
The former induces someone to resort to practices that will protect him
against bad luck. The latter to
practices that will bring him good luck.
In order to
help us understand what has been said about Vain Observance, my author makes
several very helpful comments.
1. The
use of sacred [blessed] objects to obtain certain results is pious and lawful
if done with proper reverence for God and recognition that He is the author of
the desired effect.
Care
must be taken not to introduce some vain or inept circumstance into the use of
such objects, nor attribute to them an effectiveness or infallibility they do
not have. Otherwise one could fall into
superfluous or quasi-sacrilegious ritual, and even be tempting God. Certainly they would be guilty of vain
observance. Examples:
a. To
say a prayer a certain [exact] number of times, or for an exact number of days
would be okay if there is an acknowledged religious significance attached to
the number, or because the said number is required by the Church to gain
specific indulgences.
It
would be vain observance, however, to attribute the spiritual favor sought to
the precise number involved.
b. To
recite a vocal prayer of petition using a formulation in certain specific
words because approved by the Church, or because a great Saint is its
author, or because such words are more capable of stirring up one’s devotion,
is certainly permissible.
To
attribute the granting of the favor desired to the particular words themselves,
rather than to their meaning and to the inner disposition of the petitioner,
would also be an example of vain observance.
c. To
wear sacred objects on a chain around one’s neck such as relics of saints,
religious medals, written excerpts from Scripture, etc., would be all right
provided one’s hope of obtaining divine protection or some other spiritual
favor is not based on some inept detail with regard to the manner in which or
the number of days on which the object is worn, or in regard to the material
out of which it is fashioned.
2. It
is not wrong to make use of divining rods to assist in the discovery of
underground water or veins of metallic ore.
The effectiveness of such devices is satisfactorily explained in terms
of natural forces. But here too, vain
or superstitious accidentals could make this a sin of vain observance as well.
3. With
regard to spells cast or curses inflicted by means of Sorcery or Magic, the
only lawful remedies to be used against them can be either supernatural or
natural.
The
supernatural: Trust in God; Prayer;
Fasting; the Sign of the Cross; Invocation of the Names of Jesus and Mary, Holy
Water; the application of Relics of a Saint.
The
natural: The use of effective Medicine
(in the case of a sickness inflicted by sorcery); the destruction of the
physical image or object by which the spell or curse is inflicted.
It
is never licit to resort to other magic or other forms of sorcery to overcome
the evil caused by the original sorcery.
Chapter
11 – Irreligion
In general, irreligion
(or irreligiosity) is anything that is opposed to the virtue of Religion. Since Religion has to do with exhibiting to
God the reverence we owe Him as our Divine Creator and Father, whatever words
or forms of conduct that dishonor Him would be irreligious.
Among the
specific words or deeds that fall into this category are those that we know as Tempting
God, Blasphemy and Perjury. These
are directly opposed to Religion.
Others are
indirectly acts of Irreligion because opposed to the virtue of Religion in the
practice of Divine Worship and the Use of Sacred Things. Examples of these are Sacrilege and
simony.
First
Question – Tempting God
The sin called
here tempting God is committed whenever anyone by word or deed presumes
to test or challenge God to manifest one or more of His divine attributes by
demanding that he intervene miraculously in a given situation. Examples of these would be:
-
To expose a saintly person to imminent danger of
serious harm or death to see if God loved that person enough miraculously to
save him. (Satan asked Jesus to throw
Himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple to force God to send angels miraculously
to bear Him up, as predicted in the Psalms).
-
To refuse to use ordinary means to support
himself to see if God’s providence would do so in some miraculous manner.
-
To demand that Christ appear visibly in the
Sacred Host at Mass to prove that the bread and Wine are really changed into
His Body and Blood.
-
For a Preacher completely to omit any
preparation, proximate or remote, when scheduled to deliver a homily, expecting
that at the moment he begins to speak the Holy Spirit will provide him with a
theme and how to develop it.
To tempt God is
a serious sin by its very nature.
Scripture makes this clear. The
Israelites in the desert doubted that God could give them water in the desert
or prepare a table for them.
Though He proved to them that He could (and did), God nevertheless
became very angry and punished them severely.
An instance
wherein God did not respond to doubts of the Israelites occurred on
Calvary. The Chief Priests and the
Elders shouted: He puts his trust in
God; now let God rescue him if he wants him.
For he did say I am the Son of God.
(Matt. 27:43)
Tempting God
though, can be a slight (venial) sin for various reasons: parvity [littleness] of matter, parvity of the kind of evidence
sought, lack of full awareness, etc.
For example: to expect a non-miraculous intervention of
God to obtain a cure or a healing without seeking the help of a doctor or other
ordinary medical help.
My textbook
does acknowledge that there can be a non-sinful testing of God. This can be when someone, with due reverence
and submission (being lovingly resigned to whatever God wills)
-
Asks for [non-miraculous] sign to confirm some
truth of the Faith
-
Requests to be instructed in some extraordinary
(but not miraculous) way concerning a duty to be fulfilled.
-
Seeks some evidence that God is pleased with one’s
devotion and service.
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