Speaking of October 31st is the Halloween festival, but I did not say anything until November 1 because of the connection between the two dates. In origin, this day is called All Hallows' Eve, meaning the evening of All Saints. Since the time of Gregory III (741), the Feast of Saints was celebrated on the first of November 1, the day he consecrated a chapel in the Temple of Peter to honor the whole of the Saints. Then, Gregory IV (835) commanded this celebration in the entire Society. In ancient times, this celebration was celebrated on the eve of Easter to highlight the victory of Christ on the hearts of so many people, especially the saints. Christ overcame death and he also defeated the devil by conquering hearts. Later, the celebration day has been changed but the main meaning is still retained.
Believers in ancient times believed that on the eve of the feast of Saints 1-11 the earth was shaken, the earth chattered and the devil from hell came in with the ultimate endeavor to entice souls to return to it. So in the afternoon of All Saints, they went out to the streets, dressed in horror-like demons, shouting the name of Jesus and knocking the devil to the devil, chasing them to hell. . All Hallows' Eve.
Unfortunately today, the religious meaning has faded, if not lost, to just pure Halloween, and even worse, a prostitute. Instead of banishing the devil, he takes it to his house, into his soul. So there are churches reacting strongly to this situation, in particular, the Philippine Bishops' Conference recently voiced concern to the faithful and called Halloween an anti-Christian festival.
Recalling the origins of such a feast in order to better understand the secularization of modern times, depriving religious content and substituting religious denial. Do not think secularization is only in the West! The secularization process is also taking place in Vietnam, especially when the good or the bad learn the bad thing quickly. Non-Catholics do not know, but unfortunately both Catholics do not know and so do, how do people do it, instead of helping others see the beauty of the Gospel then again Helpers to kill the Gospel!
Recalling the origin of such a feast, to remind each other of the spirit of the feast of All Saints, the spirit can be summed up in the famous call of Blessed John Paul II: "Do not be afraid, open the door to welcome. Christ". Specifically, bring in the heart of Jesus Christ: the heart of humility and humility, mercy and forgiveness, commitment and service. For this reason, the Gospel proclamation on the Feast of the Saints is the Gospel of the Beatitudes:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Good luck because they will be the Promised Land business.
Blessed are those who mourn because they will be comforted by God.
Blessed are those who long for the righteous, for they will be satisfied with God.
Blessed are those who have mercy on them because they will have mercy on them.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are those who build up peace because they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are crushed for righteousness because the kingdom of heaven is theirs "(Mt 5: 3-11).
Taking the heart of Jesus Christ in the midst of today's day is not easy, as it promotes a way of thinking and a way of life that is almost completely opposite to the Gospel. The Book of Revelation (II Corinthians) expresses this fact with images that are both alive and alive: "Who are those who are dressed in white? Where did they come from? I replied, Sir, you know that. He said to me: They are the ones who have come, after experiencing great trials. They washed and bleached their clothes in the blood of the Lamb "(Rev. 7: 13-14).
Clothes are clean when washed with blood! It's incredible. But the truth is. Accept the collaboration with the sanctifying action of the Holy Spirit, wash the life-giving cloth of the blood of sacrifice, fight the temptation, the trials of the virtues. It is the faith that all Saints send to us, who are also called "saints" for being baptized in Christ, but also showing that holy potential with their own lives. To be in harmony with the saints in praise:
"Amen! Give thanks to our God
Praise and glory,
Wisdom and thanksgiving,
Honor, authority and power,
Long live forever. Amen! "(Kh 7:12)
- Gm. Peter Nguyen Van Kham