Hey thanks for the great costume idea: Iâm going to dress up as a martyred saint! HmmmâŚmaybe St. Lucia with her eyes gouged out? lol.
Iâm an artist and have recently returned to the Catholic Church. One of the things I truly love about our Catholic tradition is its appreciation and support of the arts. Anyone who has some sense of âtasteâ can appreciate the âsavorâ that the darker aspects of the human and divine drama can bring. When done deliberately and well, the shadows can bring a great lucidity to the forms.Without them, there mey not be much to see. Just imagine âDanteâs Divine Comedyâ without its demons and tortures, or Peter Paul Rubensâ âLast Judgmentâ without the sordid sufferings of the damned. Can you think of one good story that has no evil in it, no villains? Just look at Scriptures, the greatest story ever told contains descriptions of death and suffering and evil that can make your hair curl. I canât speak for everyone, but I know what has always attracted me to the festival of Halloween is that its a chance to pretend and to make-believe. Its a great creative outlet for kids and adults where the arts of theater, costume, illusion, design, cookery, story telling and even music are celebrated. The emphasis on death and the macabre is a natural fact of its arrival during the autumn season. Psychologically we are preparing for the âdeathâ that winter brings. Instead of mourning the difficulty of the season, we make a game of it, and use it as a spark to ignite our imaginations.
When I came to Christ I was a graduate student studying fine art. I nearly dropped out of the program and gave up my career because I questioned whether or not the visual arts as I knew them where pleasing to God, or whether they offended Him.Through years of careful deliberation I am satisfied that God Himself is the Master Artist, and His work unreservedly describes the entire range of human drama and conflict. Who am I to condemn anyone for describing the good as well as the evil in their creative work and play? Am I to understand that the Lord, who taught in parables, disapproves of fiction? Would images of His death on the cross be any less profound without the blood and horror of it? Let us pastor our kids to understand that Halloween is about creativity and make-believe, gifts of the Creation which are God-given. Lets join them in the fun of earthly festivals and look to, rather than avoid their meaningful undertones. Letâs see if we can remind them and ourselves this Halloween that evil exists and death IS scary⌠but then we remember that evil is always conquered by good. As Christians, we should both shudder at death - for it is an abomination, and laugh in its face - for it is a sore loser! Thatâs exactly what we do on Halloween. We Christians more than any one else should know the secret behind the seeming contradiction of horror commingled with gaiety we encounter in the Halloween spirit. The secret is this: Christ has triumphed over death itself! Tee hee! We know this from the most important drama we posses; one most rich and colorful and at times gruesome and terrifying; a story that painters and poets and actors and musicians never tire of representing: the Gospel.
Thatâs my experience and I hope it helps. Lets draw nearer to God by examining (carefully) His creation through our creative activities instead of pulling away from it. Course, if looking at death is really tempting for you, go ahead and poke out your eye, as the Lord said. Eeck!
Now to go work on my costumeâŚ
Anyway, from what I was reading Halloween takes itâs name from the old English wording of the night before All Saints Day, or All Hallowâs evening. The ancient Celt celebration that people have mentioned was done on a different day from Oct. 31st.
) He told us to have two separate drink tablesâŚone with Catholic punch in the bowl/fountain and another with Baptist punch in the bowl/fountain. He guaranteed me that although there will be more Baptists at the reception, the Catholic punch bowl (alcohol table) will have to be replenished more often. 