Halloween /All Saints/All Souls
Everybody knows the secular holiday of Halloween; but not everybody knows it is derived from a Holy day,: All Saints’ Day on November 1, which is followed by All Souls’ day on November 2. More than a thousand years ago in Ireland and Britain, a common custom of Christians was to come together on the eve of the feast of All Hallows Day to ask for God’s blessing and protection from Evil in the world. Often, they would dress in costumes of Saints or Evil Spirits and act out the battle between Good and Evil around bonfires. That is the source of today’s observance of Halloween.

The root word of Halloween, “hallow”, means “holy.” The suffix “een” is an abbreviation of “evening.” It refers to the Eve of All Hallows, the night before the Christian Holy day that honors Saintly people of the past. All Saints Day celebrates the Communion of Saints: those people we believe are in heaven, through their good works and God’s grace.

All Souls’ Day is a day to pray for all those journeying to Heaven. Among Catholics, prayers are offered for those in purgatory, waiting to get into heaven. On All Souls’ Day, some Catholic churches have a Book of the Dead, in which parishioners have an opportunity to write the names of those to be prayed for. This Book is placed near the altar, during the month of November.

All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are related, but they are two separate celebrations. On All Saints’ Day, there is a call to the Saints to remind us how they are models for us to live our lives. On All Souls’ Day, we pray for all the departed and ask God’s mercy for them .

The Halloween Pumpkin – The Jack-o-Lantern:
The Lord has been known by many names throughout history; “The Great Pumpkin” is one of them. For those of us not yet called to glory, the world goes on, and we, too, keep vigil in the pumpkin patch, awaiting his coming. And while we sit there carving our pumpkins, we remember these words of St. Paul:
Your attitude must be that of Christ. Though he was in the form of God, he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, he emptied himself ... Because of this, God has exalted him. (Philippians 2:6-9)

Could there be any better symbol for our Christian life than the harvest time Jack-o-Lantern? Are we not called to be emptied and be the Children of the Light of Christ.
Some parts of Halloween can be extreme. We combine honoring the Saints in heaven with remembering our loved ones and then earn graces for our own souls by prayer and action. It is through this approach we see the Mystical Body in action. Amen!