Halloween? Holy Day or Pagan Playtime?

     As the uber-American holiday, Halloween, is getting underway today, I thought I'd re-address the topic that I discussed a few years ago on another blog.  If you wish, you can read that post here:  Saint, Souls, and Saturday.  Since Halloween is one of those days that many of my Catholic friends are reluctant to give up for fear of being cast as an extreme Christian fundamentalists, I thought I would approach it again on this blog.  If you are new to Catholicism or new to this blog, if you are a cradle-Catholic or a modern Catholic, if you do nothing else today, please spend some time looking at the origins of Halloween using reliable Catholic information.
     In my previous article on Halloween, I mentioned in brief detail how and why the Church, in Her wisdom, introduced the feast days of All Saints and All Souls Day.  These Holy Days have very real significance in the lives of faithful Catholics.  In fact, they are central to what we know about our lives, the lives of the Saints, Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother.  Celebrating these days in Catholic fashion is significant and important.  It is something we should be doing as Catholics.  These days remind us that death is nothing to fear, as long as we are living in faith and following our Lord's Commandments.  They remind us that, if we live our lives properly, we will be united in Heaven with all the Saints who have gone before us.  We are reminded that Our Lord conquers evil, that Our Lord conquers death, that death brings us to Heaven.
     These days from All Saints to All Souls also remind us to pray for our loved ones who may be suffering in Purgatory, waiting on the Mercy of Our Lord.  In fact, praying for the souls in Purgatory is a great moral good.  As such, traditionally the entire month of November is dedicated to the Suffering Souls in Purgatory.  To ensure that faithful Catholics continued to pray for the souls of the faithful departed, the Church attached to these prayers a plenary indulgence, or a forgiveness of the temporal punishments of sin.  In the special circumstance of All Souls Day, this indulgence shortens the time in Purgatory of our loved ones.  In other words, praying for the Suffering Souls in Purgatory actually helps them.
     In Catholic countries around the world, All Hallow's Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day were spent in seriousness, joy, and prayer.  Families made long trips to the cemeteries where their loved ones were buried.  On these days, they cleaned the graves, lit candles, and often prayed for hours.  In many places, family members gathered together before or after Mass on these days, sharing family stories of their loved ones, and gathering to pray Rosaries for their souls.  These were days that ushered in a month long period of prayer and penance in hopes that the souls of long lost mothers, fathers, grandparents, and even children made their way to Heaven where once again families could be reunited.  It was a special time, a beautiful time for families to reflect on their own mortality and hope in the Lord's salvation.
     However, these age old Catholic traditions are something our nation has never known.  American Catholics have little or no knowledge of these beautiful, ancient traditions.  Yes, our immigrant ancestors brought with them the ancient practices of praying for the dead, especially in the cemeteries during Hallow Mass and All Souls' Day.  But these early Catholics ancestors were few and far between.  But because the Protestants dominated our new country, they despised these practices, considering them superstitious and evil.  To counteract them, they began to establish there own fall festivals and bonfire parties.  They began to have plays, dances, and costume parties, mostly celebrating Guy Fawkes and Reformation Day, and incorporating American Patriotism. By the 1920s, the celebration and costume parties had become just another part of American life.
     Catholics in America were faced, on a daily basis, with a dilemma.  How could a faithful Catholic survive in the workplace, in the neighborhoods, in an increasingly hostile Protestant environment?  In spite of Pope Leo XIII warning Catholics regarding the dangers of "Americanism," Catholics found themselves accepting of and influenced by Protestantism, just to get along with their neighbors.  As such, American Catholics, Catholics first in heart, doctrine, and spirit, slowly evolved into Catholic Americans, Americans first in heart, doctrine, and spirit.  And one of the quintessential celebrations of American life was the Halloween/Fall Celebration.
     By the 1950s, Halloween was so popular in the United States, that trick-or treating, what had previously been a night young people used to tip over outhouses and vandalize fences, became a night for little children to dress up, go door to door in the burgeoning suburbs, and get piles of candy.  Shortly thereafter, the celebration itself lost all religious and political meaning.  It had become just another day for Americans to celebrate their Americanism.  It was fun and it was mostly harmless.  And it was a chance for Catholics and Protestants to play together all nicey-nice.
     Over the years, Halloween celebrating has become so popular for Americans, that it is poised to take over Christmas.   At the same time that Halloween has become so popular for Americans, it has also come along way since the kids trick-or-treating and candy of even my day in the 1970s.  And while these were familiar Halloween costumes in my neighborhood, costumes are becoming more macabre and frightening.  Adults are increasingly becoming more involved, using the night for drunken parties and mischief.  Even Americans agree.  Halloween has moved from childhood fun time, to adult party time.   As such, it is becoming sexualized and scary, reminiscent of pagan rituals of ancient times.
     So what is happening?  And what are Catholics to do?  Sadly, whether anyone Catholic wants to acknowledge it or not, Halloween is returning to it's pagan origins and celebrations.  As a growing population of Americans identify themselves as non-religious or not affiliated with any religious group, there are bound to be ramifications.  The holidays that once held some religious significance have become completely engulfed by secular materialism and commercialism.  The sad thing, though, is that those who do consider themselves religious continue to fully participate in the slide to secularism.  This slide into secularism, the loss of religious practices and identity, has opened the gates for Halloween to return to its godless, pagan origins.  Very few people, even Catholics, recognize what Hallows Evening is supposed to be about.
     All Hallow's Eve begins this evening.  This is the evening many Catholics would do well to go to Mass instead of trick-or-treating.  Visit the cemetery where your loved ones are buried.  Light a candle as a reminder that the Light of Heaven is their guide.  Pray a Rosary.  Instead of spending time at the shopping mall looking for that last minute zombie costume, reflect on the Communion of Saints.  Read a story about your name saint, if you have one.  Help your children make a costume of St. Joan, St. George, St. Lawrence, or St. Kateri.  Instead of grabbing bags of candy for trick-or-treaters, bring out the old photos of grandma and grandpa.  Make a list of all the faithful departed in your family.  Work on your family altar.  Call your friends, have them over for a Rosary and tea.  Rejoice.  Pray.  Make it a Holy Day again.  Help a Poor Soul in Purgatory.

But most of all, leave the pagans to themselves.

Efficacious Prayer for the Faithful Departed

O most compassionate Jesus, have mercy on the Souls detained in Purgatory, for whose redemption Thou didst take upon Thyself our nature and endure a bitter death.  Mercifully hear their sighs, look with pity upon the tears which they now shed before Thee, and by virtue of Thy passion, release them from their pains due to their sins.  O most merciful Jesus, let Thy Precious Blood reach down into Purgatory and refresh and revive the captive souls who suffer there.  Stretch out to them Thy strong right hand, and bring them forth into the place of refreshment, light, and peace.

Amen.

May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.  Amen.

This is dedicated to the baptized Catholics in my family, whose souls are hopefully in Purgatory, awaiting their eternal reward.  May God have mercy on their souls.
 
   

Pray thee, do tell…….

    Although my parents weren't particularly religious, my early childhood was directly influenced by the variety of Protestant religions prevalent in the Southern States. As such, my understanding of the "saints" was grounded in those doctrinal beliefs. The various different Protestant belief systems identify saints with all sorts of definitions. Who a Baptist defines as a saint is somewhat different to the Methodist and, likewise, to the Presbyterian. When I came to Catholicism, I had to consider ideas that were completely contrary to my upbringing. It was confusing then, but over the years I have had the wherewithal to understand it.

I would like to tell you that I came to understand the Communion of Saints and intercessory prayer upon my conversion to modern Catholicism. I would like to tell you that, but it would be a lie. Oh, sure we talked about the Communion of Saints, there was the acknowledgement that certain people are saints, but that was about the limit. I never heard a priest give a sermon about a saint, or why it is important to read about the saints, or why we should ask the saints to pray for us. Never. Until I became a Traditional Catholic.

When I was a bouncing around from one Protestant church to another, the "communion of saints" was, for the most part, a foreign concept. As a Baptist, which is how my mother still identifies herself, a "saint" is merely another Jesus believing Christian who is currently living. For a Methodist, the same definition applies, but they would surely include the Apostles or other people they consider who lived a holy life. So, a "communion" of saints would refer to several holy, Christian people currently alive, and perhaps those who have passed on. There is nothing really unusual or controversial about that definition. In general terms, yes, as Christians we are saints. But this is not a complete understanding of the Communion of Saints.

The incomplete picture of the Communion of Saints that the Protestants have comes from the distorted understanding the Protestant sects have of the Church. The Church is not simply a body of believers. It is composed of three separate and distinct groups. Together, these three groups make up the entire Church—the Communion of Saints. The Church Militant is all the Christians living on earth who, as the name implies, are fighting against the sins of this world and the devil who is wandering around seeking the ruin of souls. The Church Triumphant refers to all those souls who have ended their suffering on earth and have been assured the gift and joy of Heaven. The Church Suffering or the Church Penitent is all the souls who have completed their suffering on earth but are suffering the cleansing fires in Purgatory.

These three groups make up the entire Church, who are separated only by death. The members of the Church help each other through good works, good example, and prayer. The members of Church Militant, those of us here on earth, help each other through our charity, counsel, and prayer. We also pray for the members of the Church Penitent for their time in Purgatory to be shortened. Those in Purgatory, who are one step closer to attaining Heaven, offer their sufferings for the Church on earth. And the Church Triumphant, those who have finally attained Heaven, assist those on earth through their own prayers to the Lord. Reflecting on the Church in this manner, leaves one with a deeper understanding of what Jesus meant when he said that we would never be alone. The whole Church, whether living on this earth or living with Our Lord in Heaven, works together as one, helping each other. How incredibly beautiful and powerful!

Why the Protestant churches reject this long held understanding of the Church and the Communion of Saints, I cannot answer in this post, but all of them do. As for the modern CathoIic Church, I can only assume, since the New Catechism fails to mention the Church and the Communion of Saints in the traditional manner, that they have developed a more Protestant pleasing approach to sainthood. And as a result, they have lost an immense treasure left to us by our Lord—the intercession of the Saints—asking those who have already attained their eternal reward to carry our prayers to Our Lord's ears.

Since the beginning, the Church has not been afraid to declare that a person on earth, due to their most holy and exemplary life, has surely attained a seat in Heaven. The Church doesn't arbitrarily decide who should be in Heaven, but examines the life, works, and words of the person, and determines based on this evidence that this person is certainly with the Lord. As such, we, as members of the Church Militant, can and should follow the example of these persons and we should certainly ask them to assist us in acquiring virtue and to pray for us to the Lord.

Sainthood has long been an honored tradition among Catholics. Catholics, for centuries, have named their children after some saint they had particular recourse to or some saint with virtues that they hoped for their children to possess. Churches have been named after saints and no shortage of images of that person has graced the walls and windows. Many saints have been called upon because of the miracles Our Lord permitted them to perform. The saints have left us with prayers, meditations, miracles, insight into virtuous living, and ways to defend ourselves against the devil.

Long ago, the Catholic Church compiled a list of many of the saints in recorded history. Thousands of them are recorded in the Roman Martyrology. The Church has assigned a day, usually the day they entered Heaven, for that saint to be honored and remembered. That calendar, the Liturgical Calendar, remained unchanged for centuries. It was modified in the 50s and the 60s to add some saints and move some to different days. After Vatican II, many saints were completely removed from the calendar. In recent years, Pope John Paul II modified the criteria for declaring a person a "saint." During his papacy, he declared 482 persons saints and beatified more than 2000. He believed, much like the Protestants, that "all people" were saints. Many of these saints have been added to the calendar, but unless otherwise noted, I will not be writing about them here. Why I have made that decision will also be left to another post.

I often feel incredibly alone in a world filled with distractions. It is unusually difficult to be a Christian in a modern world. Even Sunday, the Lord's Day, is no longer a day of rest. It is just another "business-as-usual" day. Long held Christian principles have been abandoned by modern Christians. As our President declared recently, the U.S. is no longer a Christian nation. Since this is so, to whom to we seek for advice, guidance, and direction? Whose example can we follow? The Protestants will simply say, "Jesus." Modern Catholics will probably say this as well, but they will have overlooked an important point—Jesus was and is Divine.

Jesus, because He is God become Flesh, could never sin. We, as human beings, sons of Adam, have inherited Original Sin. We are sinners, and try as we might, we continue to struggle with sin. And while, as Christians, we are all striving to live like Christ, we often fall short and sometimes become frustrated or adopt the opinion that we are not capable of virtuous living. The Lord, of course, knew this would happen. As such, He has left the Church exactly what we need—real men, women, and children who overcame their sinful nature and lived exemplary lives. They have become for us the assistance and encouragement we need as Christians living in our world.

Is it possible to suffer patiently with cancer? Ask St. Peregrine. Is it possible to love the world and yet reject it for the Lord? Ask St. Augustine. Is it possible to remain faithful to the Catholic Church in a Protestant world? Ask St. Margaret of Clitherow. All the saints have a story to tell. They offer to us the very real possibility that we, as fully human and sinful, can overcome our nature only through the true love of Our Lord and the Sacraments.

These days, a whole treasury of amazing people, Saints of the Church, has been opened to me. I hope to share them with you here.

All the Saints in Heaven, pray for us that we may follow your example in hopes of meriting our own reward.

All the Souls in Purgatory, it is for you we pray, that you may soon see the Face of Our Lord.