Halloween? A Christian holiday?

     When it comes to holidays, Halloween is one of the most controversial.  Whether it is controversy over what or whom to dress up as, or how skimpy that costume is; whether it is about the amount of candy and sweets that kids eat and whether or not to let them eat home-made goodies; whether it is about the evil and 'pagan' nature of the holiday itself, Halloween certainly creates a stir.
     In actuality, Halloween is part of a great 3-day celebration in the Christian church, and it is a tradition that we as Christians, can help to take back.  Our friends at Vibrant Faith @ Home have given much thought to this and provided some good ideas for families this week.  For the full version, visit their activity 3 Scary Holy Sad Days.  Here is a quick overview:

1. On October 31 (Halloween), whether you are taking kids “trick or treating” or just handing out treats at home, it’s nice to know that the idea of wearing scary costumes comes from the fact that the word, “Halloween” is a variation of “All Hallow’s Eve” which means the evening before the Feast of All Saints – celebrating people who have died but are remembered as holy people. Dress up if you like and enjoy the idea that sometimes it can be scary to be a holy person because you might be called upon to do courageous things.
2. On November 1 (All Saints Day) read about the saint you were named after. If you don’t have a saint’s name, pick a name or a saint that you like and read about his or her life.

• What made them special?
• What challenges did they face?
• How are you like your saint or different from him or her.
• If you are doing this with your children, teach them about their saint too or have them pick a favorite saint’s name.
• What saint would you most like to emulate?

3. On November 2 (All Souls Day), make a list of your deceased relatives and close friends. Remember how precious each person is to you. Was there any element of faith that any of these people passed on to you?
4. If possible visit their graves. If this is not possible go to a cemetery anyway and pray at the grave of any unknown person. They can remind you of your loved one. Besides, everyone deserves to be remembered – even the unknowns. Invite your children to go with you. Life goes on and passes on through them.

     So with this in mind, that the holiday of Halloween is actually a Holy-day, what does that mean for us?  What does it mean to celebrate all the saints?  On Sunday we will remember that we are part of the great communion of saints, 'knit together in the mystical body of God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord', as our prayer for the day says.  We will remember by name all those who have died from our community as well as any saints you wish to share.  We will remember that our hope comes from that third article of the Apostles Creed: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
     Did you notice the progression of this statement?  The Spirit knits us together as one body of Christ.  Together, as God's children, we make up the church.  The church is something that reaches from the past into the present, and extends forward into the future, including the saints of all times and places.  The communion of saints experiences salvation by means of forgiveness of sins, which frees us to love, live, and serve as saints should.  When we die, we believe Jesus ushers us into God's kingdom through the resurrection of our bodies, and from there we have eternal life everlasting.
     Halloween?  A Christian holiday?  Absolutely.  A wonderful opportunity for us to remember all the saints of ages past who have shaped our church today, and whose examples of life, love, and service form and shape our own lives.  It is a wonderful opportunity to explore what it means to be a saint in today's age - to remember as Vibrant Faith says, that 'it can be scary to be a holy person because you might be called upon to do courageous things.'  It is a wonderful opportunity to remember that scary or not, pagan or Christian, tricks or treats, in the end we have a loving God who grants life, salvation, and who, in the end, will wipe every tear and death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.  Thanks be to God!