October 31, 2003 Halloween
Well, it’s Halloween. The day we send our kids out to beg for candy. But, to keep them from embarrassing us, we make them wear masks so nobody knows they’re our kids.
Actually, Halloween has its roots in Christianity. The word “hallo” means holy, as in “Hallowed be thy name.” All Hallows Eve is the vigil of All Saints’ Day. In the early days of the church, there were many days set aside to honor specific martyrs. All Saints’ Day was set aside as a day to honor those martyrs who were unknown, like the Christians who were thrown to the lions. As persecution of Chrisians became less common, the day was changed to honor non-martyr saints as well. Hence the name, “All Saints Day.”
A lot of our Halloween traditions and myths have a religious background. For instance, the story of the Jack O’Lantern is an old Irish folk tale. It seems that Jack was very clever but he was also very lazy. He liked to play pranks on people and spent a fair amount of time in the pub.
One day, he tricked the devil into climbing a tree. Once he was up there, Jack trapped him by putting a cross under the tree. Before he would let Satan come down, Jack made him promise not to take his soul.
Unfortunately for Jack, since he never once did a good deed for anybody, when he got to heaven, St. Peter turned him away. He basically told him to go to hell. But, true to his word, the devil wouldn’t let Jack into hell either.
So, Jack was doomed to wander between heaven and hell forever. To light his way, the devil gave him a burning ember which Jack put inside a carved turnip. When the Irish came to America, they brought the Jack O’Lantern with them. When they got here, they discovered the pumpkin, which is bigger and easier to carve than a turnip. And, it makes a better pie!
On this day of Trick or Treating, in our Gospel, Jesus plays a trick on the Pharisees. The story is a little unusual in that it’s usually the other way around. They’re always trying to trick Him. But this time, it’s Jesus asking the questions. Is it ok to cure on the Sabath? As luck would have it, there just happened to be a sick man right there. A coincidence? I don’t think so.
So, Jesus heals the man with dropsy. Then He asks them another question. Which one of you wouldn’t pull his son, or even his ox out of a well if he fell in on the Sabath?
The Pharisees, who always seemed to have a lot to say, couldn’t answer. They were speechless.
Now, how do you think Jesus and the Apostles reacted to that? I have to think that they had to try really hard to keep from laughing. We always picture Jesus and his apostles as being very serious. But, think about it. These are thirteen relatively young men. They travel together. They eat together. They do everything together. Don’t you imagine that they had some fun?
Don’t you think that when Jesus made fools out of his enemies, as he often did, that they all had a good laugh? When Jesus zinged the Pharisees, don’t you suppose that they all thought it was pretty funny? Maybe they even laughed out loud. It’s possible.
So, on this day when the kids, and people who act like kids, enjoy dressing up and having a good time, let’s remember that our faith isn’t a somber faith. After all, if we do it right, we’re going to spend eternity in heaven—with Jesus—having a really good time. Jesus died for your sins and mine. The word Gospel means “good news.” We should be the happiest people around.
Think of Jesus and the twelve, walking home from that dinner with the Pharisees. Maybe Paul said, “Did you see the look on their faces?” “I never thought I’d see those guys at a loss for words.” Someone else says, “You really got ‘em good this time, Jesus.” “How did you get the guy with dropsy invited anyway? And what is dropsy? I didn’t see him drop anything!” More laughs.
The time would come, soon enough, when things would get really serious. But, I like to think that in the beginning, Jesus’ public ministry must have been a pretty good time. After all, his first miracle was turning water into wine at a party. He must have liked a good time.
Here’s a quote from Sheldon Vanauken, a British writer who converted to Catholicism:
"The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians—when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths."
— Sheldon Vanauken
Now, let’s ask God for the things we need:
Actually, Halloween has its roots in Christianity. The word “hallo” means holy, as in “Hallowed be thy name.” All Hallows Eve is the vigil of All Saints’ Day. In the early days of the church, there were many days set aside to honor specific martyrs. All Saints’ Day was set aside as a day to honor those martyrs who were unknown, like the Christians who were thrown to the lions. As persecution of Chrisians became less common, the day was changed to honor non-martyr saints as well. Hence the name, “All Saints Day.”
A lot of our Halloween traditions and myths have a religious background. For instance, the story of the Jack O’Lantern is an old Irish folk tale. It seems that Jack was very clever but he was also very lazy. He liked to play pranks on people and spent a fair amount of time in the pub.
One day, he tricked the devil into climbing a tree. Once he was up there, Jack trapped him by putting a cross under the tree. Before he would let Satan come down, Jack made him promise not to take his soul.
Unfortunately for Jack, since he never once did a good deed for anybody, when he got to heaven, St. Peter turned him away. He basically told him to go to hell. But, true to his word, the devil wouldn’t let Jack into hell either.
So, Jack was doomed to wander between heaven and hell forever. To light his way, the devil gave him a burning ember which Jack put inside a carved turnip. When the Irish came to America, they brought the Jack O’Lantern with them. When they got here, they discovered the pumpkin, which is bigger and easier to carve than a turnip. And, it makes a better pie!
On this day of Trick or Treating, in our Gospel, Jesus plays a trick on the Pharisees. The story is a little unusual in that it’s usually the other way around. They’re always trying to trick Him. But this time, it’s Jesus asking the questions. Is it ok to cure on the Sabath? As luck would have it, there just happened to be a sick man right there. A coincidence? I don’t think so.
So, Jesus heals the man with dropsy. Then He asks them another question. Which one of you wouldn’t pull his son, or even his ox out of a well if he fell in on the Sabath?
The Pharisees, who always seemed to have a lot to say, couldn’t answer. They were speechless.
Now, how do you think Jesus and the Apostles reacted to that? I have to think that they had to try really hard to keep from laughing. We always picture Jesus and his apostles as being very serious. But, think about it. These are thirteen relatively young men. They travel together. They eat together. They do everything together. Don’t you imagine that they had some fun?
Don’t you think that when Jesus made fools out of his enemies, as he often did, that they all had a good laugh? When Jesus zinged the Pharisees, don’t you suppose that they all thought it was pretty funny? Maybe they even laughed out loud. It’s possible.
So, on this day when the kids, and people who act like kids, enjoy dressing up and having a good time, let’s remember that our faith isn’t a somber faith. After all, if we do it right, we’re going to spend eternity in heaven—with Jesus—having a really good time. Jesus died for your sins and mine. The word Gospel means “good news.” We should be the happiest people around.
Think of Jesus and the twelve, walking home from that dinner with the Pharisees. Maybe Paul said, “Did you see the look on their faces?” “I never thought I’d see those guys at a loss for words.” Someone else says, “You really got ‘em good this time, Jesus.” “How did you get the guy with dropsy invited anyway? And what is dropsy? I didn’t see him drop anything!” More laughs.
The time would come, soon enough, when things would get really serious. But, I like to think that in the beginning, Jesus’ public ministry must have been a pretty good time. After all, his first miracle was turning water into wine at a party. He must have liked a good time.
Here’s a quote from Sheldon Vanauken, a British writer who converted to Catholicism:
"The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians—when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths."
— Sheldon Vanauken
Now, let’s ask God for the things we need:
posted by Mike at 12:03 PM
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