Posted on 10/31/2008 9:49:19 AM PDT by NYer
Through the Hebrew Catholic Year - A Collection of Traditions and Prayers for the Jewish Holidays for Catholics.
I am sure you are right, but every Halloween there are warnings on nearly every TV station with “safety tips”. That is on local news (which I still watch) since I haven’t watched in years. Interesting side note, went to the grocery store yesterday evening (a little past 19:00 hrs.) in a small town of around 6.000 people and saw three houses that appeared to have “trick or treaters” and went by the local high school, heavy traffic and people parking, when “game night” is normally Friday night. Don’t know what was going on but thought I had missed a day for a moment.
Haven’t read the article yet, but I’ll post my 2 cents anyway.
We have two daughters. One is 17 and the other is 2.
We disallowed any Halloween celebration for our first daughter because we believed it to be the devil’s holiday. No costumes, no candy, no trick-or-treat.
Every year we found something else for her to do, usually the “Harvest Party” at church where she had a good time with other kids.
We were pretty uptight about Halloween.
The past few years, we have changed our view. As long as WE are not celebrating Satan, who gives a rip whether or not we allow any Halloween festivities?
My wife will take my 2 year-old trick or treating tonight. She’s dressed as a fairy tale princess.
. . . but the underlying message I think is to remember the dead, to remember that we also must die, and to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Not a popular message for moderns, because death has been largely sanitized and hushed up and locked away in hospitals and nursing homes where most people don't have to confront it. And most moderns don't like to confront the issue of the Four Last Things and what may happen to us after we die.
So no, it's not on a level with Christmas. But it is important.
As I said, historically. Historically the Catholic Church has "superseded" and abolished Jewish holidays while adapting and "baptizing" pagan ones.
For most of Catholic history such a group as you reference would have been forced underground or else condemned as "Judaizers."
Kids are almost grown and don't trick or treat. We have candy in case neighborhood kids come by trick or treating, but few do (not that many young kids in the neighborhood, some years we may get as many as 10-15, others none). Some years I'll carve a pumpkin to put on the porch, too busy this year.
Just trying to take a clear-eyed view of the situation.
I agree that candy corn is praiseworthy. Just eat it and skip the Satan worship.
See:
Purgatory? You're kidding right?
(Death) Not a popular message for moderns, because death has been largely sanitized and hushed up and locked away in hospitals and nursing homes where most people don't have to confront it.
Ignorant and narrow. H’ween is going to bridge this? The fact that not all Christians minister in the slums of India, Dar fur or in Hospice facilities here shouldnt be taken to mean that they are ignorant of death or the effect it has on the observers of it.
Com’on now. In the interest of full disclosure, I am no longer a Catholic and dont really desire to split doctrinal hairs with you. I will say however that I veiw the doctrine of “Purgatory” to be reprehensible and destructive to people. One of the most heretical teachings in Christendom.
Ok...you got me there:o) Dont forget the little pumkin ones..
I have a tub of candy for the children that visit my house tonight. I will be glad to see them. It’s the same candy we serve in our addictions ministry to people trying to get off booze and drugs.
My year old grandson is going to be dressed as a pirate tonight. His mother is a Christian, fully versed in spiritual warfare. She will take him to relatives’ houses including mine. I’ll be glad to see the little man. He’s my joy in life.
Halloween impacts me with local children and parents coming to my door. I impact them by giving them candy. That’s the extent of it.
I get a lot more ticked off every December when the word “holiday” takes the place of Christmas in twenty bazillion ads.
Candy and kids dressing up like Dora the Explorer or whatever other character is popular on TV that year.
Some killjoys want to project more onto the Halloween than that, but kids don't care.
Someone who claims to be an ex-Catholic is surprised that someone still Catholic believes in purgatory?
The reality and inevitability of physical death must be socially recognised for death to be properly digested and understood by the culture. Holidays are part of that process of cultural orientation.
Halloween does need to be reformed, and materialist excesses rejected, but it does serve a social AND religious purpose by serving as a cultural theatre of mortality.
Halloween is based on the fact that it is the night before All Saints Day.
In prior times it was believed that the forces of darkness were allowed, semi-free, rein on this night.
Goblins, witches, zombies, vampires, etc were allowed to roam freely throughout the countryside.
The practice of costumes was to disguise who was, and was not, one of the evil ones.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, etc.
The treats were to appease the evil ones with a, sort of, sacrifice.
We are today, sort of, too literate and sensible to believe that evil flies on the wings of the wind on All Saints Eve, but the tradition lives on.
beg to differ, H’ween doesnt serve my faith or “religion” what so ever. Thank you.
You and me both, brother. That's my number one pet peeve on earth. Don't get me started.
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