October 31 was one of my children’s’ favorite day of the year. Why? Well, Halloween of course. Dressing up as their favorite scary character, and collecting all that candy. What’s not to like?
What is Halloween? A definition of Halloween is: “Halloween: a contraction of “All Hallows’ Evening,” also known as All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. It is a time in the liturgical church year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.”
According to some scholars, All Hallows’ Eve is a Christianized feast initially influenced by Celtic harvest festivals. Mostly Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, decorating and carving jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted house attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. I do recall egging and soaping windows in my younger days, something I am not now really proud of.
I remember visiting the island of Guam on October 31 several years ago, seeing relatives decorating and lighting candles on the graves.
In many parts of the world, the Christian religious observances of All Hallows’ Eve, includes attending church services and lighting candles on graves. Mexico, other Latin American countries, and even other cultures observe the Day of the Dead, covering both All Saints and All Souls.
On November 1 they honor departed children and adults are remembered on November 2. Spending the entire day at cemeteries, people build small shrines, with food, beverages, photos and other keepsakes of loved ones.
All Saints Day falls on November 1 and All Souls Day falls on November 2. Many Christian denominations observe these two special days. The custom of remembering the faithful departed goes back to the early days of the church, when their names were posted in the church so they could be remembered. As early as the sixth century, monasteries held special days of remembrance for the dead from their community and by the ninth century they were commemorating all the faithful departed.
Most of us don’t spend much time thinking about death, or life after death. Occasionally we may visit the grave of our loved one, leaving flowers on the grave. Oh sure we attend funerals, at least we older adults do, most young people don’t attend funerals, unless the deceased is one of their own age. Some of us visit the cemetery to have a conversation with one who has died.
A military funeral often causes a tear in the eye and a lump in the throat. I witnessed a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery this spring. The clip clop of the horses accentuated the solemn procession.
We in the Grand Marais community have celebrated many funerals the last several months. Death is in our consciousness. Many have lost mothers and fathers to death. Human life ends with death, but though death ends our physical life, our relationship to God continues, because God chooses to share the divine life with us.
On these days when we remember all the departed, let us never think that people are dead and gone. They have entered into their eternity. As Sir Walter Scott penned, “Is death the last sleep? No—it is the last and final awakening.”
These days are an opportunity to bring our loss into our consciousness, it is an expression of our hope and confidence that our loved one in death, somehow remains with us. We are part of humanity that follows Christ—we belong to one another even in death.
All Souls Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to glance into our memories and recall our loved ones. Today, we only see their images, not the real thing. But these images are very real for us, and perhaps these memories are painful still. But we also know as Christians that we will be joining our loved ones and see them once again at the Second Coming.
While these special days are often forgotten, overshadowed by trick and treating, the tugging remembrances give us pause to once again see those whom we believe to be with God. Everlasting life is a wonderful thought: a special treat. As Christians we know that all is joy with all the faithful departed for all eternity.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me” Psalm 23
Requiescat in Pace – Rest in Peace.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month our contributor is Deacon Peter Mueller of St. John’s Catholic Church in Grand Marais.
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