In the peace of His Majesty, Our Lord Jesus.
May the Immaculate Queen of Mercy and All Saints, Pray for us now and especially at the hour of death and may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Ave Maria! On the Sunday of Christ the King, 2020, my wife and I found ourselves at the Corpus Christi Chapel in Nashville. After Mass there was a procession held with a relativity small crowd through the streets of the immediate area. Many began to laugh at the sight of several Halloween decorations deflating and seemingly bowing to their God. Perhaps brining to life the words of written in the scripture: That in the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth (Philippians 2:10). This memory led me to express my opinion on the matter of Halloween, or at least the time old question: Should Catholics celebrate Halloween? and of course when I say Halloween, I am not referring to the ghost hunting or occult practices or general debauchery that follows most holidays, When I speak of Halloween, I am speaking of the kiddy stuff. To the question: Should Catholics celebrate Halloween (kiddy stuff), my response would be no.
1. Do not make light of the things God hates.
What is the general theme of Halloween? Spooky stuff to put it simply. The candy, the décor, the costumes, all speak of things we consider scary, things of the occult. Things that speak of what the creed what called unseen but of the damned. Witches, werewolves, zombies, vampires, and monsters make up the bulk of Halloween, its unavoidable. The identity of these characters are not light things to God; they depict seriously offensives acts. It is sinful to practice witchcraft, it is sinful to consume human blood or conjure demons. Yet on this day it all becomes a gag, a joke. What is a little witch on a broom hanging from our doorway, or a candy shaped like a human eye or phantoms spirits or spell books? Its all a joke, right? Some might even argue it's all meant to mock these evils but that argument doesn’t have much creditability. You can defiantly mock evil, but evil is not mocked when it becomes a decoration or treat. Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter (Isaias 5:20). After all, is this not how sodomy became so normal and now praiseworthy in our society, in early sitcom it was a comedy relief, Christians use to laugh along, now they are not laughing so much. It is the same with the Occult. Sin is not a joke. Our Lord commands us not even to mention the names of idols, let alone use them as decor and food molds. Keep all things that I have said to you. And by the name of strange gods you shall not swear, neither shall it be heard out of your mouth (Exodous 23:13). How many have fallen into hell, deceived by witchcraft, souls purchased by the blood of His Majesty and tears of Our Lady. These pagan things should not be laughed at but utterly destroyed and forgotten. Destroy all the places in which the nations, that you shall possess, worshipped their gods upon high mountains, and hills, and under every shady tree: Overthrow their altars, and break down their statues, burn their groves with fire, and break their idols in pieces: destroy their names out of those places (Deutornomy 12:2-3). The theme of Halloween has its root in either pre-Christian paganism or in post-Christian witchcraft, either way the celebration of works from down below. What then? Do I say, that what is offered in sacrifice to idols, is any thing? Or, that the idol is any thing? But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with devils (1 Corinthians 10:19-20). This of course includes modern forms of witchcraft, as clarified by St. Augustine: For to this inextinguishable lamp we add a host of marvels wrought by men, or by magic,— that is, by men under the influence of devils, or by the devils directly—for such marvels we cannot deny without impugning the truth of the sacred Scriptures we believe. That lamp, therefore, was either by some mechanical and human device fitted with asbestos, or it was arranged by magical art in order that the worshippers might be astonished, or some devil under the name of Venus so signally manifested himself that this prodigy both began and became permanent. Now devils are attracted to dwell in certain temples by means of the creatures (God's creatures, not theirs), who present to them what suits their various tastes. They are attracted not by food like animals, but, like spirits, by such symbols as suit their taste, various kinds of stones, woods, plants, animals, songs, rites. And that men may provide these attractions, the devils first of all cunningly seduce them, either by imbuing their hearts with a secret poison, or by revealing themselves under a friendly guise, and thus make a few of them their disciples, who become the instructors of the multitude. For unless they first instructed men, it were impossible to know what each of them desires, what they shrink from, by what name they should be invoked or constrained to be present. Hence the origin of magic and magicians. There is a reason our civilization, post Christian society, views these Halloween themes as scary, which leads me to my second point.
“Halloween is the devil’s trick. Behind the carnival atmosphere is the dark world of horror and evil, the victory of death over life. Halloween is in opposition to Christianity. Halloween is the antechamber towards something much more disturbing. For devotees of the occult, October 31 is the satanic new year. It’s a time for luring new converts. And it’s a time when exorcists have to work harder.”- Father Aldo Buonaiuto, International Association of Exorcists.
2. What do we stand to benefit?
Halloween is an occult holiday. Don’t take my word for it, look it up. Any satanic coven, almost any pagan or magic related organization celebrates this day in one capacity or the other. The late Father Gabriele Amorth S.S.P., exorcist of the Diocese of Rome: As in the Church, some of the official rites of satanism are tied to particular feast days. Most important to them is Halloween. It is considered the magic new year; therefore, it is necessary to understand the extreme danger for our children and youth who participate in Halloween. Evil is ceriantly present on this day, besides being held in contempt by others and candy, what do we truly stand to gain from this celebrating? Is it really worth the risk involved, offending God and becoming prey to the enemy? Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 8-9).
“Halloween is really a spiritual gathering presented as a form of game, and that is the equivalent of singing hosannas to the devil”
- Father Gabriele Amorth S.S.P., exorcist of the Diocese of Rome
3. What is the point of Halloween? Is it All Hallows Eve?
Halloween is not the Eve of All Hallows; it is another entirely different holiday that has some Catholic influences. In the calender of the Roman Missal the 31st of October was offically called the vigil of All Saints, a penitential day full of anticipate for the joy of the subsequent Octave All Hallows Tide or All Saints. The liturgical color was Violet, aside from Vespers which was said in black vestments and for the Faithful departed. This vigil was removed from the Roman calendar in 1955. The Black vestments said for vespers, which was said in cemeteries from October 31st to November 8th, and the orange unbleached candles upon the altar are some of the catholic influences on Halloween. The holiday itself however comes from the Scottish. The first written account of Halloween we find in American is not among Catholic immigrants or Catholics living in the conquered areas further south and west. No, the first account of Halloween is found in the Delaware advertiser and farmer journal, an edition published October 2nd, 1823.
"The first ceremony of Halloween, is pulling each a stock, or plant of kail (colewort.) They must go out, hand in hand, with eyes shut, and pull the first they meet with; its being big or little, straight or crooked, is prophetic of the size and shape of the grand object of all their spells.” This is referring to a Scottish superstition that involves young adults walking blindly into fields and picking a cabbage in order to tell future. This tradition was a surviving custom from the Celtic pagan celebration of Samhain. The Church openly condemned the practice, which picked up popularity after the Protestant revolt in Scotland.
As time progressed this later turned into Scottish immigrants stealing their neighbors cabbage, which led to confrontation as one can imagine, which led to the tradition of throwing the cabbage against your neighbors house after it was plucked. This eventually became children destroying cabbages and vegetable gardens. These children would often wear masks to hide their identity and demand treats in as a threat. Eventually these children, with fond memories of vainly looking at cabbages and destroying vegetable gardens, grew up they began to celebrate the day with house parties. By the 1860s, Halloween was a day of dinner parties for adults and mischief for children within the city. It should be noted during this time spiritualism was at an all-time high, mediums, witches, and seances were all very common at this Halloween dinner parties. It isn’t until 1900 that we find the notion of giving food to children, to keep them from raising mischief.
A hollowed greeting card printed 1904.
In 1912, the city Hiawatha, Kansas started the first children’s Halloween party, a public event to keep the kids from mischief. This public event was a huge success and spread throughout the country. These events included things such as sporting events, bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins (which had been around since the 1830s but never specifically associated with Halloween), and other things familiar to fall. The first recorded ghost association with Halloween is found in 1915, though the idea of haunted houses and ghostly themes became mainstream by 1930.
"Halloween Days", article from American newspaper, The Sunday Oregonian, 1916
By the 1940s Halloween began resembling what the average Americans would recognize today, with vague ghost themes and children dressing up and going door to for asking for treats. Halloween is not the vigil of all saints, it is its own holiday. Established on Scottish superstition and evolving into what it is today. Lastly, it seems to me that Halloween itself is a demonic mockery of the feast of All saints. As one feast and season celebrates the saints and prays for the salvation for the faithful departed, the other celebrates the damned and the demonic channels that bring so many down into the eternal lake of fire. After all Halloween does fall on the same day as the Protestant "reformation" day. As it were The iconoclasm of the Protestant reformation removed the saints, hence all saint day, and as we know natures abhors a vacuum. So in the niches of these saints came witches, vampires, and demons.
In conclusion, Halloween is not a Catholic holiday. It is a secular holiday closely associated with the occult whose inception is closely associated with the occult. Stay away from the holiday and everything associated with it, at best it's a vain secular day meant for feasting on a fat set said for penance, A distraction from the real feast. At its worst it's an occult holiday. If we find ourselves with Halloween decor, we'll fall is the perfect season for bonfires, give hell back its decor and chat about Christ the King, His saints, the faithful departed with a nice cup of hot chocolate or warm butter beer. We ought to spend the 31st of October in prayer, fasting, and in anticipation for the Octave of all saints.
Ephesians 5:1-13.
Be ye therefore followers of God, as most dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath delivered himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints: Or obscenity, or foolish talking, or scurrility, which is to no purpose; but rather giving of thanks. For know you this and understand, that no fornicator, or unclean, or covetous person (which is a serving of idols), hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words. For because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the children of unbelief. Be ye not therefore partakers with them. For you were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord. Walk then as children of the light. For the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice, and truth; Proving what is well pleasing to God:
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