HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Stay safe and have some fun :) Here is a past post from our wonderful reading curator, Karen Celano. I think it merits a re-posting, and you can discuss the Catholic origins of Halloween with your kids!
A great day to contemplate the multitude of Saints, their lives lived in service to the Lord, and the wonderful everlasting life they now enjoy! Why not read a bio of a new saint today, or begin a devotion to a saint for the coming year?
Friday is, of course, Halloween, and in this article Dominican priest Augustine Thompson explains the Catholic origins of the holiday: its modern form developed out of a conglomeration of Irish Catholic practices of seeking to "frighten" damned souls in hell on "All Hallows' Eve" (the night before All Saints' Day) and French Catholic practices of dressing up as skeletons and ghosts on All Souls' Day to remind people of their mortality. As European Catholics immigrated to the United States, these practices were merged, and other practices were added on over the years (he argues, for instance, that Trick-or-Treating emerged from Guy Fawkes Day celebrations). All of these traditions were combined to create the distinctly American holiday of Halloween! So if anyone tries to tell you that Halloween is a pagan custom, you can explain how the holiday actually emerged from Catholic countries for Catholic reasons! (And scary costumes do not need to be poo-pooed, but can help us call to mind some eternal realities!)
Saturday is All Saints' Day, and New Testament professor Greg Carey invites us here to reflect on what makes a saint. Taking his starting point from Luke's Beatitudes, Carey argues that if a saint is a person blessed by God, then we must count as saints "not only those spiritual superstars who attain exceptional virtue" but also "people who are vulnerable, those society routinely forgets about - or worse, takes advantage of." He concludes: "Where we may see poverty, infirmity or loneliness, Jesus pronounces God's blessing and presence." Carey reminds us that All Saints' Day is not only a day to reflect on saints who have come before us, but also a day that challenges us to become saints ourselves by living out the call of the Beatitudes.
Sunday is All Souls' Day, and Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich writes of her connection to the holiday, which she sees as an opportunity for her to reflect "on death and the relationships we retain with people who are gone." (Personal aside: Her article touched me particularly, because like the author when I am in moments of crisis I still call upon the aid of two beloved teachers in my youth who have passed on - and I feel their presences keenly.) On a lighter note, if you're looking for a way to celebrate All Souls' Day, you might try this traditional Pan de Muertos recipe from the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Saturday, November 1st - All Saints Day - NOT a Holy Day of Obligation, this year
Sunday, November 2nd - Feast of All Souls
This feast commemorates all of the faithful departed, our beloved dead, and especially the poor souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them. While you are at Mass (or some other time), take a minute to say a prayer for your loved ones who have died, and for the poor souls in Purgatory.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and while searching for an image for this blog post, I found so many pictures which called to mind the glorious victory of Christ and the beatific joy of the saints, for which we all strive each day. I hope one of these images conjures up new inspiration for you as well!
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