Wednesday, October 30, 2019
“Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.” (Luke 11:35), New Living Translation) 

                Happy Samhain to you all!

                The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain preceded the celebration of Halloween but the latter maintained many of the properties and characteristics that we associate with our version. Early Christianity created its own version of this end of summer event in order to Christianize and eventually  replace Celtic beliefs and customs. They also added an All-saints Day on November 1.

                Samhain was seen as a very sacred, supernatural and dangerous time of the year, also falling on October 31.  As the darkness and accompanying death of summer wrought by winter began to invade the land, people believed that last day of October marked a time when the space between the spirit world and the living world became very thin. Malevolent or mischievous spirits would cross over and wreak their nastiness. Trick or treat anyone?

The Britannica describes Samhain as “a time fraught with danger, charged with fear, and full of supernatural episodes. Sacrifices and propitiations of very kind were thought to be vital for without them the Celtics believed they could not prevail over the perils of the season or counteract the activities of the deities.” (Britannica Website)

I am not a superstitious person. I enjoy fantasy stories of magic, wizardry, dragons, and the like but it is not called “fantasy” for nothing. I do like to think that  there are mysteries and wonders and amazing events that can leave us agog and awed at how all of Creation works. Science still hasn’t it all figured out either. I doubt that it ever will. In fact, I hope not. I like a little mystery and even the thrill of the unknown or not-yet. It keeps us humble!

But we should be very  attuned to these times which are fraught with danger, not so much by goblins and ghouls but by the darkness of the evil which humankind can engender all by ourselves, often without much prompting from the Evil One, although  I am sure that Satan enjoys our proclivities for causing the sinful damage we bring into the world. The Devil may have made us do it, but it didn’t take much encouragement. The space between good and evil is very thin at times.

 It is easy to allow the monsters of formed by our actions, words,  even thoughts leak into the real world and cause it bedlam.

Perhaps, this is why, in Galatians, Paul included “sorcery” or “witchcraft” as in some versions in a whole host of all too human traits such as “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5: 19 -21)

                Now that’s scary – to live a life that is so full of fear, anger, pain and hatred that it possesses i.e. takes over, your whole life and dictates how you live. And we miss out on a truly blissful sort of living.  It is demonic in spirit to see others as only strangers, alien and as enemies.  It is eerie how some people can lead such hurtful and selfish lives in a world which, especially right now, needs the potent powers of love, forgiveness, hope, reconciliation and justice.

                Better to be a saint on November first and beyond than just a phantom of what God intends  us to be. 


Dale