Halloween

 We pause in our series on 33 of the Names of God because today is Halloween. This ancient Celtic festival was adopted or co-opted by the Church into a remembrance of All the Saints of God on November 1. All Hallow’s Eve is the night before, or eve (evening before), the Feast of All Saints. “Hallow” is an old term for Saints. The use of All Hallow’s Even first shows up in the 1500’s in Scotland. In the 1700’s was contracted from All Hallow’s Even into Hallow’s-een and then into Halloween.

Many scholars think that the traditions of Halloween that we are so fond of, jack-o-lanterns, costumes, even trick-or-treat are remnants of the Celtic festival of Samhain, which happened about the same time of year. During this ‘thin time’ souls of the dead can revisit their homes and are welcomed. This custom is found in other cultures, such as Day of the Dead in Mexico where feasts are prepared and taken to the graves of loved ones, as this image shows.

The Christian church’s Feast of All Saints, and the next day’s remembrance of All Souls, dates from the 4^th Century, although the date was not set as November 1 until the 9^th century by Pope Gregory IV. Since Irish monks came to mainland Europe starting in the 6^th Century, one can postulate that their presence influenced the growth of this feast, and the associated activities.  

This is a time of year to remember we are all “Saints of God.” In Deuteronomy we hear, For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6) St. Paul more specifically states that all are saints when he tells the church in Corinth, those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. (I Corinthians 1:2)

Chosen, holy, sanctified and saints—those can seem like big shoes to fill and big promises to live into. We should remember that the women and men we name as 'saints' were just as human as we are. They had the same struggles and failings we do. And we are reminded that we are never alone in our juorney to being a saint by calling. Matthew 28:20 gives us the promise of Jesus, surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Remembering our loved ones and the lives of the saints can encourage us in our own faith journey. We can emulate where they lived into the love of God and learn from their errors. We can read about the ‘big name’ saints and discover that they were just as human as we are. That can give us inspiration and courage.

Who are your favorite saints? St. Francis, Hildegard of Bingen, Mother Teresa or perhaps your aunt Mabel or cousin Tom?? In a couple weeks, women in the Diocese of the Rio Grande will look at some of the saints, both those recognized by the church, and others who are "Women of Valor and Worth" during our Fall Retreat. You can still register to attend via Zoom. 

Maybe this Halloween will give you time to celebrate the saints in your life. Perhaps you can welcome them into your heart, even if you don’t prepare a feast for them at your table, or at their grave.