Hallowe'en

I've never been terribly big on the celebration of Halloween. This might be because various pagan religions and rites not only still celebrate October 31 as some sort of high religious festival-most notably Wiccans and other practitioners of the Occult. The whole day just makes me uneasy. Maybe it is because the Church was not very successful in de-paganizing the day, despite her best efforts. We call it Hallowe'en because it falls on the vigil of one of the most important Holy Days of the year.

Perhaps I don't particularly care for it because it can rightly be said that it was on this day-October 31, 1517-that the division and schism of Western Christendom began in earnest. It is not a day that Catholics who believe in the unity of the Church might find terribly celebratory.

Maybe I don't care for Halloween because the USS Reuben James was torpedoed and sunk today in 1941. I had a Great Uncle on my Mother's side who I never met who died on the Reuben James long before I was born. Paganism, schism, and the first American deaths in World War II make today not the greatest of festival days-good Catholics ought not relish paganism, schism, and war-but should pray for the conversion of pagans, the healing of divisions among us, and the victims of war.

"Oh David," you might say "you are such a party pooper, for think of the children enjoying themselves today, going trick-or-treat." I haven't forgotten the kids, and I enjoyed trick-or-treat when I was their age as much as they do. Today, the other members of the Fire Department and myself will be enjoying our annual picnic and chili supper while we all hand out candy to the children, and we might invite a few of those kids to join us, because while other children in the community are out roaming the streets, the children of the firefighters in our town will be enjoying a more wholesome family atmosphere and plenty of good food with the rest of us.

It has to be admitted, though, that there is an ulterior motive other than trick-or-treat for choosing Halloween as the night that our local firemen and emergency response team gather for their annual night of food and controlled family hyperactivity. Halloween is usually one of the biggest nights of the year for fires or other similar incidents, either because someone is trying to play some juvenile prank, or someone finds some "other significance" in setting fire to something tonight-and most Halloween fires are often found to be intentionally set. If all of the firefighters are at the Fire Hall for a social gathering, they will all be there if and when those pagers go off. Last year, for the first time that I can recall since being a part of the team here at WPFD, there was not a fire on Halloween Night. This year, I am sure everyone here wants to make it two years in a row with no Halloween fire.

Next time you get to thinking that those of us who don't really like Halloween are just party poopers, remember that it is probably because there is too much that has happened on October 31st that isn't worth a party-unless you go to a vigil Mass tonight, that is.