Understanding Halloween And How It Should Be Celebrated

Today many countries all over the world are celebrating Halloween. Until a few years ago, this was not part of Trinidad and Tobago’s culture. However, those seeking commercial gains have have introduced Halloween into the psyche of Trinidad and Tobago with the Halloween sales and parties. So today we have people dressing in costumes going from door-to-door – trick or treating. We have all of Halloween being celebrated here in Trinidad and Tobago.

Bearing in mind how Halloween is celebrated, I cannot help but wonder how many people understand what this day is meant to be about. Our world is so desperately in need of salvation even though salvation has already been given through Christ Jesus, the precious lamb of God. Yet many still choose to live in utter darkness and to spread that darkness by the way they live. Unfortunately the true meaning of Halloween is lost to darkness.

How Halloween is celebrated now and what it means at two completely different things and on opposite sides of the spectrum. Halloween is a derivative from holy Eve.  It is the eve of All Saints Day when we commemorate and we celebrate the lives of the thousands upon thousands of people who are saints but do not have a particular feast day. The original focus of Halloween was to prepare for the Feast of All Saints by remembering one’s favorite saint, and even dressing up like them as part of the whole act of remembrance. This is a far cry from how Halloween is celebrated in our world today. There seems to be a desperate push towards the things of darkness and of evil. If any mention is made of that which is sacred, it is demeaned, misrepresented and blasphemed against. Such was the case here at our Movietowne in Port of Spain.

Why are our hearts so far removed from God? God’s desire for us is eternal life not eternal damnation. His desire for us is to live in communion with him and not to be excommunicated from him. His desire for us is that we be children of light and not of darkness. His desire is that not one of us should be lost yet so many wander farther and farther away from Him into the wastelands of the wilderness. He desires only what is good for us yet our hearts are turned away from this towards what is not good for us. That type of living is not normal. That type of living is not life giving. That type of living leads to eternal damnation. Those who live in this way were spoken about by Saint Paul in his letter to the Corinthians when he wrote, “if our gospel seems to be veiled at all, it is so for those who are on their way to destruction, the unbelievers whose minds have been blinded by the god of this world, so that they cannot see shining the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

As Catholics and Christians who are living in accordance with the law of Christ Jesus, one of our primary responsibilities is to pray for the conversion of sinners, that their minds and their hearts be open to the gospel of Christ Jesus and that the scales of blindness be removed from their eyes that they will open their hearts to the truth and to the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Finally, parents and guardians, if you are to encourage your children to participate in Halloween, please teach them the true meaning of this celebration and encourage them to celebrate it in the way that it was originally intended. To do this is right and will please God, drawing them and yourself closer to Christ Jesus by remembering and celebrating the lives of the Saints.