Why should Catholics celebrate Halloween in the evening of the 31st of October? To signify Good triumphing over Evil. You did not know? Life triumphing over Death.
I saw Lina Concepcion Luna Ilag's Facebook sharing of an image from Catholics@Work that said, "Your children don't deserve to look like these. They are not demons, monsters, or evil spirits." (They wore ugly masks.)
Frank A Hilario: Did you know that Halloween is Catholic?
Lina Concepcion Luna Ilag: Yup! It's Catholic. But not to go around as ghosts, demons, monsters!
Frank A Hilario: Why not? To remind us that there are ghosts, demons, monsters in real life?!
After the above exchange, I decided to google for more information. And now I have changed my mind about celebrating Halloween with children wearing masks of ghosts, monsters, and devils!
Facebook sharing by Marian Pulgo on 29 October 2019 (I have translated freely from Tagalog): Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Laity, reminds us that it is not a religious tradition for Filipinos to celebrate "Halloween" or "Trick or Treat." He said, "We are glorifying what is ugly, what is evil, what is bad." To him, Halloween is a Blessed Evening and meant to celebrate the saints and not those who frighten us. "In many of our parishes," he said, "instead of that, they have the parade of the saints, showing many saints, many who are good. They should be the ones we are celebrating."
Yes, Father!
Michelle Arnold says (01 September 2012, "Why Catholics Should Embrace Halloween," Catholic Answers, catholic.com):
Halloween, the Evening of All Hallows, was once a time for Christians to mock the devil by reveling in the triumph of Jesus Christ over evil and death (History changed so) that sound you now hear every October 31 is the devil mocking us.
Miss Michelle says, "It can be difficult for Christians to appreciate that there is spiritual value in such a mockery of evil – or even that it is mockery of evil and not participation in it."
"Halloween is a holiday Catholics should embrace in its original form," which is? "To honor its saints." All Saints Day. "The primary focus of this time of the year is the saints, the heroes of the Christian Faith who strove for virtue, overcame vice, and triumphed in Christ."
The usual Catholic solution to The Problem of Halloween is to organize saints' day celebrations on October 31 in anticipation of the solemnity of All Saints on the following day. Children are redirected from dressing up in "scary" costumes – devils, ghosts, and skeletons – to dressing as a favorite saint.
Above image is titled "When The Saints Go Marching In" (Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org). So? Choose your saint and go marching into somebody's Halloween Party!
My favorite Saint is St Therese of Lisieux, the little one who said, "The smallest act of love is more… than every other work put together." In attending a Catholic Halloween Party, I will bring a few little red roses – signifying little acts of love!@517
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