Florida Catholic | Halloween

COMMENTARY

Halloween celebrates sainthood, generosity, not evil

This is the last in a three-part series.

MONSIGNOR MICHAEL REED | SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC

Published: 10.26.07

Up until the last few years, the custom of providing for the hungry on “Holy Evening” (Halloween) was kept alive by UNICEF (U.N. Children’s Emergency Fund).

Children would volunteer to collect money on Halloween by carrying the orange and black UNICEF cartons from house to house. The money collected was used to provide food, medical care and other services to poor children throughout the world.

Today UNICEF has moved its efforts from Halloween to the Christmas season.

“Trick or treating” is the remnant of the forgone “Holy Evening” tradition. The trick is on the devil who does not recognize the costume-clad youth or adult as a Christian. The treats are the candies or trinkets that give an example of generosity.

One of the most recognizable symbols of modern-day Holy Evening is the pumpkin. Unbeknownst to most Christians, the legend of the pumpkin or Jack O’Lantern is a moralistic story. It is certainly an Irish story as is easily ascertained by the O’Lantern of Jack’s name. Please see the box to the right.

Stories such as that of Jack O’Lantern have important messages for young and old alike. It is my hope as a Christian and as a priest that more people will look into the rich Christian message of Halloween and All Saints’ Day. These are certainly days worthy of appropriate Christian celebration.

Just because something is misunderstood or abused does not mean it should be abolished. If we abolished every celebration that was misunderstood or abused we’d have nothing left to celebrate. What would happen to Easter and Christmas?

Easter has already become for some more about the Easter bunny, colored eggs, colorful baskets of candy, pretty dresses and bonnets than it has the day of Jesus’ resurrection. There are some religious groups who do not celebrate Easter because of its secular innovations. So if people misunderstand and abuse the meaning of this day, should all Christians give it up?

Christmas has become a time of Santa Claus, reindeer, elves, shopping, presents and trees with colored lights. Looking only at the secular trappings, one could easily forget that Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth and second coming during the Christmas season. Slogans such as “Keep Christ in Christmas” remind us that religious meaning can easily be forgotten in a busy and changing world.

All Saints’ Day and Halloween do require renewal of religious meaning. Halloween is rightly a celebration for saints. It takes commitment to sanctity and great courage to declare that God’s power is greater than any other. Perhaps only saints can persevere and live in faith in a cynical and disparaging world. As Christians we are all called to be saints, witnesses of light in darkness.

Celebrations such as All Saints’ Day and Halloween can open our eyes to the light of God’s glory and help us, as Christians, to better live what we profess.

Msgr. Reed is chancellor of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3

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Halloween celebrates sainthood, generosity, not evil

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