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Halloween
Topic Started: Friday, 26. October 2007, 13:06 (965 Views)
Rose of York
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'dancing in a Christian spirit"????????

Doing a jig, aided by a glass of Benedictine?
Keep the Faith!

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Emee
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garfield

I read the same article in The Daily Mail and a thought struck me. The paper is just in a strop with the Catholic Church for what it sees as the breaking up of the C of E, Middle Class, conservative establishment that it feels our country is built on and should remain on. Follow my reasoning on this:

Basically, this time last year the paper would have been on the side of most conservative pronouncements coming from The Vatican or from other members of our Church, viz the paper has in the past shown the harm abortion does, has decried the demise of sexual and societal morals, supports Christian values, and has held up our Church as a bastion of one that stands firm on such stances. But challenge the Anglican estalishment and make an offering for their clergy to join Catholic ranks and so further demise of their own shaky establishment? And how the palm wavers have turncoated...

No I would expect to see more of this type of story garfield - ie linking The Vatican to negative stories rather than to positive news; in this case to Political Correctness can you believe?! The Vatican or otherwise coverage is ridiculed by linking it in the same article to political correctness and chilldren being made to remove their masks in the U.S. for being "too scary". Quite a sly move on the paper's part actually - it is saying: "Look at those Vatican spoilsports - they are destroying all our traditions." Basically with The Daily Mail it is the Establishment right or wrong - rock the boat and you're a socialist, an immigrant, an oddity, and now added to the list, a Catholic. Smooth little piece of PR on The Mail's part.

For my part I chose to celebrate All Saints Day instead. I bought us an Angel Cake as my daughter was going to bake a cake for All Saints Day but the oven part of our cooker is broken. A thought came to me: we could have all the fun and games on All Saints Day - all the party games etc. and we could even have fireworks to celebrate All Saints Day. Therefore Catholic children need not feel like they are missing out on any of the fun (in the way that Jehovah's Witness children do at Christmas and birthday times) but in that way they are celebrating a legitimate Catholic and Christian festival - instead of one with dubious origins (Halloween) and one with a quite definite Anti-Catholic slant (Guy Fawkes Day) - yes I expect the Establishment-loving Daily Mail would have had a field day then as well had it been around in those days also... :wh:
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SeanJ
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I can't vouch for the accuracy of this explanation of the origins of Halloween, but a lot of fits with what I already know, and the rest of it makes sense.

SeanJ
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Mairtin
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SeanJ
Monday, 2. November 2009, 12:44
I can't vouch for the accuracy of this explanation of the origins of Halloween, but a lot of fits with what I already know, and the rest of it makes sense.
It's nice when somebody comes up with the actual facts, well done Sean. :bravo:
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Gerard

SeanJ
Monday, 2. November 2009, 12:44
I can't vouch for the accuracy of this explanation of the origins of Halloween, but a lot of fits with what I already know, and the rest of it makes sense.

SeanJ
There is no way I buy that.

The customs surrounding Hallowene in Scotland are too much like a remainder from the Celtic festival of Samhain for me to buy into a Christian origin in the Middle ages. It is an obvious case of Christianity substituting a Christian equivalent for a pre-existing pagan festival. Just as Christmas substitutes for the festival of the Winter Equinox.

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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Mairtin
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Gerard
Monday, 2. November 2009, 14:43
The customs surrounding Hallowene in Scotland are too much like a remainder from the Celtic festival of Samhain for me to buy into a Christian origin in the Middle ages. It is an obvious case of Christianity substituting a Christian equivalent for a pre-existing pagan festival. Just as Christmas substitutes for the festival of the Winter Equinox.
I think you're missing the point, Gerry.

The fact that Christmas was "merged" with an existing pagan festival does not in any way undermine the Christian nature of Christmas; neither should the present day secularisation be allowed to undermine it.

I think the same principle should apply to Halloween; the fact that it too was originally merged with some pagan festival and that ghosts and ghoulies have been added by secularism in more recent times should not be allowed to obscure the fact that there is a big Christian tradition attached to it.

There is something in Fr. Thompson's account that rings true with me too - I've always felt that Halloween was something more than a simple secular festival, that the three days of Halloween, All Saints and All Souls have to be taken as a total period; the very name "Hallow E'en" is a big clue :)
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Clare
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Putting the "Fun Dame" into Fundamentalist
Emee
Monday, 2. November 2009, 00:22
... I read the same article in The Daily Mail and a thought struck me....
... viz the paper has in the past shown the harm abortion does, has decried the demise of sexual and societal morals, supports Christian values, and has held up our Church as a bastion of one that stands firm on such stances....
...on some pages, and then completely undermining its stance with things on other pages.

Even though I have quoted articles from it, fairly often, I do find it pretty appalling. On the one hand it rightly bemoans the state of society, while simultaneously doing its bit to maintain society's sorry state! If it was really serious about wanting society to be better, it would stop printing such immoral rubbish elsewhere in its pages!
S.A.G.

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Gerard

Mairtin,

Did you read the article Sean linked to? It is wholly misleading and if it does not actually contain untruths it is full of half truths - it is not even internally consistent.

We agree, you and I, that Hallowene is the Christian "Eve of All Hallows". We also seem to agree that it substututed (or merged with) a pre-existing Pagan equivalent. But the article tries to give a different story altogether.

I find nothing wrong, and much admirable, in the substitution. But I find the distortion and evasion of the historical truth repugnant.

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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KatyA

It's that time of year again, and this year, our bishops are endorsing the "Night of Light"
Catholic Herald
 
It is the first time the bishops have ever endorsed “the Night of Light”, an international campaign to reclaim Halloween that was started in 2001 by Damian Stayne, the founder of Cor et Lumen Christi, a Catholic community.
The initiative has been gaining ground among Christians left uneasy by the emphasis on horror themes in modern Halloween celebrations.
This year it will run in partnership with the bishops’ Home Mission Desk as a way of following up the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain last month.
Catholic Herald
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KatyA

Found the Press Release ( they hide things well on the bishops' site)
Quote:
 
‘Shine A Light’ To Witness To Christian Faith

Christians across the UK are invited to place a light in their window on 31 October as a sign to passers-by that they are followers of Jesus Christ.

The initiative is called Night of Light and is the inspiration of Damian Stayne, the founder of the Catholic community, Cor et Lumen Christi. He explained: "The Night of Light is an international initiative to reclaim Halloween as a joyful Christian celebration. In many countries around the world children’s celebrations are being organised, as are prayer gatherings, with people putting a light in their window to visibly witness to neighbours and friends."

He added: "The evening of 31 October is called Halloween ('All Hallows Eve') and is the vigil (beginning) of the Feast of All Saints - the feast in which Catholics celebrate the glory of God in His saints, the victory of light over darkness in the lives of God's holy ones in heaven. Jesus is the 'Light of the World'. The saints lived by that light, and became a beacon in their own generation. Everyone is called by Jesus to live out this vocation - to be the 'Light of the world' for others today."

As participants are able, suggested key elements of the Night of Light include:

· Attending a vigil Mass for the Feast of All Saints

· Spending all night adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

· Providing treats and fun for children in celebration of All Saints and the Light of Christ; e.g. a bonfire or dressing up as saints.

· Placing a light in your window (safely) as a sign to passers-by that yours is a Christian household and Christ is your light.

Some may like to wear a white item of clothing as a symbol of their allegiance to Christ, Our Light.

Although the Night of Light has run previously, this year, in partnership with the Home Mission Desk of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, it is being offered as a way of following up the Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK.

Bishop Kieran Conry (Arundel and Brighton), Chair of the Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis, said:

"Halloween is now the biggest commercial festival after Christmas and Easter, and it is time we reminded Christians of what it really is. The celebration of feast days is an important part of our Catholic culture. On the evening of 31 October why not do something to make your faith respectfully seen and heard? Light a candle or display publicly another kind of light, for example, perhaps alongside an image of Christ. This could be a powerful way in which we can show people that we have hope in someone other than ourselves. The light will provoke questions and is a way that people can be signposted to goodness. I encourage everyone to participate."

Archbishop Vincent Nichols recently wrote in his Pastoral Letter to his diocese: "Making faith visible is so much a part of the invitation the Holy Father has extended to us all." Participating in the Night of Light is offered as one way of responding to that invitation.

Additional ideas and resources to celebrate the night can be found on http://www.nightoflight.org/ It follows news that copies of the Pre-Raphaelite painter William Holman Hunt’s, ‘Light of the World’ have been gifted to every parish in England and Wales as part of the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the UK; a reflection sheet to be used with the image can be found on the papal Visit website
Press Release
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Peter

What a nice idea to put a light in the window of your home to indicate that you are a follower of Jesus.Trouble is, will anyone passing by make the connection? It will also let potential trick and treaters know that you are in so they can bother you. On the 31st October, we and the people we know turn the lights off in their houses and retire upstairs, either reading a book or watching tv until the knocking has ceased. If you're not in no harm normally comes to your property. If the visitors think you're in and not answering, unpleasant things invariably occur. Personally I can't wait for it all to be over.
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Rose of York
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Peter
Thursday, 14. October 2010, 11:30
What a nice idea to put a light in the window of your home to indicate that you are a follower of Jesus.Trouble is, will anyone passing by make the connection?
It might lead to all the neighbours putting their own lights up, because (they think) you put it there because it's "nearly Christmas".
Keep the Faith!

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Peter

Funnily enough Rose, there used to be a family living in our neighbourhood who would religiously put their Christmas lights up during the first week of November and they had sound effects to go with them!
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