By Juan Rodriguez
Before we talk about the topic of Halloween, there are still some youth and young adults who struggle with the teachings of the church when it comes to saints. Probably because they forgot the Catechism they've received in Religious Ed. Maybe because the Religious Ed. teacher or program wasn't that great. Maybe because our parents or family didn't ever speak about the importance of the saints, or even becoming one. No matter what it is, sainthood can be a thing of the past, even when we see images or hear about the saints at Church, at your friends house or in pop culture - it doesn't seem important to us.
So what is a Saint? It comes from the word in Latin, "Sanctus", which is translated as "Holy". When we think about a saint, or holy person, we think of this person as being exceptionally charitable, patient, kind, loving, hopeful, faithful, and a trusted friend. For Catholics, a saint is one who lives for Christ. One who wishes to imitate Christ's life.
We believe the saint possess power given by Christ through the sacraments, commiting themselves to God's will and to God's people.
We as a Church recognize and venerate them for living a holy life and gaining heaven.
If ever someone tells you, YOU SHOULD NOT VENERATE ANY MAN, tell them to think again when they have a picture of their mom or dad, or their loved one, or their favorite sports player, or token or item that is used to remember a friend - since those who think the word VENERATE is a word designated for God, when it is truly for both God and for anyone else or an object. VENERATE simply means "to honor". We honor people with awards, with food at the table, or with just a simple handshake, acknowledging their importance to us - why does it seem to be a problem when we use this word in reference to human beings who lived a life united to Christ?
When we honor a person, we honor also the Creator who made this person. Do you think God would feel jealous of us giving attention to His creation? Only if we make the person to be God, and that isn't what Catholic Christian's believe. Even if we wanted to, God still Reigns SUPREME over all His creation, including His beloved Saints. The Saints themselves, by their very being, point to God. Holiness comes from God, not from creation alone.
When the saints are together, the Church calls this unity, "Communion of Saints."
Why do we need to know this? TAKING BACK HALLOWEEN - The Church in naming this Feast, "Halloween", invites us to the reality of Sainthood; that you and me are called to be Saints. If we struggled to believe this, then we have the proof of living saints before us, and those who went to heaven. If we lost this feast to society, we would be doomed to see the saints as just super heroes in comic books, or fairytales. There wouldn't be any reason for us to even acknowledge Christ's word's in being "light to the world." (Matt 5:14-16). Halloween is the feast which calls us to celebrate our first vocation before God, and that is to be Holy.
Check out the story on Blessed Carlo Acutis:
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More to come on DHT EXTENSION:
Check out our next post on "Holy", Part of our TAKING BACK HALLOWEEN SERIES!
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