Sunday, October 31

2 Machabees, chapter 12:46

Halloween, which is celebrated today, means the ‘eve of all Saints.’ The old English word for Saints is ‘hallows’, and ‘een’ means eve. Hence, Halloween. It is a very old festival, and has its roots in a pagan custom in Ireland before the coming of St. Patrick, during which the druids (pagan priests) communicated with the souls of the dead on the eve of November 1. St. Patrick was a practical saint. He did not abolish the druidic, pagan custom altogether. Rather, he christianized the custom by praying for the dead as we now observe on November 2, the feast of all Souls; and by invoking the example of the Christian saints (the holy ones who have gone to heaven) on November 1, and the feast of all Saints. Hence, the Christian origin of Halloween as the ‘eve of all Saints.’

Over the years, the festival of Halloween as the eve of all Saints, like Mardi gras (the eve of Ash Wednesday), morphed into a secular holiday. It is celebrated today as a secular festival by children and adults alike; it is the subject of scary Hollywood movies; and it is the second largest commercial feast in America. More candy and costumes are sold on Halloween than any other day of the year.

While Halloween is celebrated as a day of fun and revelry like Mardi gras, it is still important not to lose sight of its Christian origins. For those who have lost a loved one, now is a good time to remember them and to pray for them.

The church celebrates mass on “all souls day’, November 2, to pray for the souls of the faithful departed. On November 1, the church celebrates the feast of ‘all saints’ with a mass, to draw inspiration from the example of the saints in heaven.

Remembering the souls of the faithful departed, and praying for them, as the second book of Machabees states, is a “holy and wholesome thought.” During this time of year, let us not forget to say a prayer for the deceased members of our families and to visit their graves, if possible. We are all part of the great family of God on earth and in heaven. This is what is meant by the communion of saints; the communion of the faithful in this world and in the next. And, that is why we should pray for our deceased family members and friends who have gone before us.

Happy Halloween!

Fr. Hugh Duffy