We’re at the end of October. Jesus summarizes the whole law and the prophets by connecting our love of neighbor to our love of God. All Saints Day and All Souls Day are Wednesday and Thursday. That’s the line up for the active Catholic. But of course, for those not so in touch with the beauty, wonder and power of Catholicism it’s Halloween and tours of cemeteries and old jails that take center stage. Allow me to vent a little and seek understanding and teach an important lesson.

First, my venting has to do with the dominance of and the type of Halloween decorations everywhere. I don’t mean to vent about seeing such decorations. Actually, I see the “fun” of putting ghosts and skeletons all around. Even though I never was one who liked the Friday 13th type movies I must confess I always enjoyed a good practical joke, especially if it involved scarring my brothers of sisters. I even enjoyed the Haunted House at Disney World. (I don’t go there anymore since they became “woke”) So, the thing I want to vent about is the blatant misuse of things supernatural like spirits and the indisputable truth called death. I see there are various ways to participate in the “Halloween spirit”. Putting up such decorations can be harmless as a practical joke. A neighbor steps on your welcome mat and a ghost goes “boo”. Children love dressing up like their Superhero, so parading around while collecting candy becomes a way to have a little fun with your neighbors. But subconsciously, something else is going on. Skeletons and graveyards become the pretend stage props for the very real need deep in our souls to “whistle as we walk past the graveyard.” I realize there are many God fearing, church going people who put up lots of decorations, but I would love to see a study done to determine how many “Halloween fanatics” are strong faithful Catholics. My guess is that many of the fanatics are non-church goers or church goers who don’t take the study of theology seriously. They are cultural Catholics the way they are cultural pumpkin carvers. Like them or not, these decorations are a part of October like rain is a part of Spring. What gets my goat in all this is the misuse of things that can lead us to the truths of faith but are often used to distract us from the truths of life (like death and demons) so that we kid ourselves into thinking we have conquered them.

I’m reminded of something G.K. Chesterton said in “Everlasting Man”. “It needs a truth to make a tradition. It needs a tradition to make a convention.” In other words, putting up lots of decorations wouldn’t be a convention (aka: a popular tradition) if there wasn’t some truth about it. As a priest, I can very well thank everyone who puts up a skeleton because a skeleton should remind folks that we all will die someday. Knowing we will all die someday should motivate everyone to prepare for that day when we will meet God. We should all rush to Mass and go to confession and pray the rosary. But, these decorations don’t see to have that effect on most people. Rather, they help distract many as a way of being a little religious without the necessity of being seriously religious. G.K. also points out that the stories and traditions of the pagan household gods become more popular in times of “social decline”. He says, “Pastoral poetry” (i.e. the folk lore of the pagan gods of common working man, also known as “the shepherd” or “the pastor”) is certainly often a convention, especially in a social decline. In other words, during a social decline, when morality is dying, the common man, if he does not seek the true supernatural things, that is the true God alive in the true religion, will cling to humanly manufactured religious things. In other words, we become happier to promote the things man creates rather than seek and embrace the things that God creates. One of those things God has created is Purgatory. The best way to whistle passed the graveyard is to sing faithfully at Holy Mass. The second best way is to come to St James cemetery Monday, 10/30 at 6:30pm for the Cemetery walk of the martyr saints.