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| A scene from Holbein's Danse Macabre. |
I love Halloween and always have. Those of you who
are regular readers get a large amount of material every week on the
supernatural. Today has generally been a day to remember that there is a darker
side to all of that as well and possibly to enjoy a little harmless mischief. I
believe in the reality of supernatural evil and I also believe that today is a
good way to remember that it exists. I think dressing up like demons and ghouls
and having some fun with it is far better than turning this venerable holiday
into yet another opportunity for fear-filled frothing at the mouth about the decline of religion, morals, culture, or whatever people are going on about at the moment. (The Good Lord be praised that Hurricane Sandy didn't hit on Halloween or who know what sorts lunacy we would have to listen to.)
Frankly, I find that too many of those who denounce
Halloween as satanic or immoral are actually often practicing the worst sort of ecumenism: that of
borrowing the pottiest ideas of contemporary fundamentalists because they have
forgotten that the catholic tradition has powerful ideas of its own. (And
lacking both sacraments and sacramentals, maybe Protestants should be a little
bit more afraid--I'm yet to see a horror movie where they call the local
Baptist minister to perform the exorcism.)
So HAPPY HALLOWEEN to one and all.
(And if you don't like it, may a zombie eat your brains.)
