I don’t mind Halloween. This may sound strange coming from a bishop. When trick-or-treaters come by the house, the costumes can be quite entertaining — like the kid who shows up as a refrigerator or a banana. I think my favorite costume of all time was the kid who wore rubber-nose glasses and a sign that said, “God Bless You.” You see, she was “a blessing in disguise.”
My tradition on Halloween is to give out holy cards. I let the kids pick. Would you like St. Francis, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Kateri Tekakwitha or the Memorare? Yes, kids, come to my house on Halloween and you are going to get a holy card — deal with it.
To be honest, I still have the customary bowl of candy to hand out. However, it is fun watching the kids’ faces as they choose the holy card they want. The truth is, not too many kids get holy cards these days. Maybe you can help me change that? Why holy cards on Halloween? I find it interesting how many people do not know where the word “Halloween” comes from. In 18th-century Scotland, “Halloween” became a shortened way of saying “All Hallows’ Eve.” Translated into our times, Halloween means “the evening before All Saints’ Day,” which of course is celebrated each year on November 1.
It is a day to celebrate the saints we venerate along with the saints we do not know about but are known to God. Why is All Saints an important celebration? St. Bernard of Clairvaux, in the Office of Readings for All Saints, argued that we do not celebrate this day because the saints somehow need our praise. They are in the presence of God. They need nothing. There is a more basic reason why we celebrate this day: We all hope to be saints someday! Trappist monk and author Thomas Merton emphasized this point in his book The Seven Storey Mountain. Reflecting on a time when he was a young adult, a friend asked him what he wanted to do with his life. Thomas recalled that he responded weakly, “Well, I suppose I should want to be a good Catholic.” His friend replied, “Rubbish, what you should say is that you want to become a saint.” That challenge stayed with Thomas his entire life.
My friends, do you know the word we use that defines someone who is in heaven? We call people who are in heaven saints. So, if you ever hear me ask at a gathering or at Mass — “Who here wants to be a saint?” — every hand should be raised! Because we are sinners, this takes a lifetime of conversion. However, the saints give us hope. They give us an example of what discipleship looks like and their prayers help us grow closer to Jesus.
The feast of All Saints is therefore most worthy of celebration. Why not begin the night before?
Northwest Catholic — October/November 2022