Our current Halloween practices are the result of several discrete factors, most of which are rooted in our Catholic faith.  To celebrate Halloween well - drawing from it lessons about our faith - read on!

We celebrate Halloween on October 31st because it is the day before the Feast of All Saints.  “Halloween” is another way of saying “Holy Evening”.  In the Church, the night before a feast is its vigil, and so with the setting of the sun the new day begins and the celebration can commence.  All Saints Day, then, is about remembering all who died after living a life of faithfulness to Christ and now enjoy the presence of God in heaven.  We seek to learn from these saint’s earthly example and ask their help as we in turn strive to be faithful to Christ.  By the way, we could be celebrating Halloween on May 12th if the Feast of All Saints had not been moved to November 1st back in the first half of the 8th century!

​By the 840’s the Feast All Saints was celebrated universally; when it spread to Ireland it is thus a pure coincidence that a preexisting ancient Celtic pagan harvest festival became associated with Halloween.

By 998, St. Odilo, abbot of the monastery of Cluny in France, instituted the Feast of All Souls Day on November 2nd, to pray for those who have died and are saved, but still in need of purification before entering heavenly glory.

​We can thank the French for the practice of wearing costumes.  In the 14th and 15th centuries the French began holding a “Dance Macabre” - a “Dance of Death” on November 2nd.  It was a living tableau of people from various states of life and a reminder that everything passes.  It was a practice brought on by the Black Death, a pandemic that saw up to 1/3 of the European population die in about a three-year period.

The phrase, “Trick or treat!” was a November 5th English practice, where persecuted Catholics were visited in the dead of night with the demand for beer and cakes.  Following the violent suppression of Catholicism in England, some Catholics thought blowing up the king and parliament and replacing them with new leadership would rectify matters.  The plot was discovered on November 5, 1605 and only led to greater persecution for at least another 1.5 centuries.

Jack-o’-lanterns were at first carved turnips used as lamps for ancient Celtic harvest festivals.

All of these practices were eventually mixed together as our ancestors from these various backgrounds immigrated to this country and intermarried.

As we celebrate Halloween this year, I hope that however way you mark the day, it is with a renewed appreciation of how deep our Catholic roots go in cultural practices we might have hitherto taken for granted.  Rejoice in the saints; pray for those who have died.

Happy Halloween!

David J. Conrad

Today, (the Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time) in the Gospel of Mark, we hear the story of the blind man Bartimaeus. This is a familiar story about the man whom Jesus cured of blindness on the way to Jerusalem. Jesus tells Bartimeus that what saves him is his faith—the very same thing that will save us! Bartimeus could “see” who Jesus was—in spite of his being sightless. This “seeing” had little to do with physical eyesight—this was about perception and understanding. It is the sort of seeing we mean by the word “insight.” The idea is that we must “see” the world with eyes of faith.

​Bartimeus calls out to Jesus to have pity on him; and he names Jesus as the Son of David. Others tell him to stop calling; but Jesus tells them to call Bartimaeus to himself. So they do call him saying: “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” When the Lord asks Bartimeus what he would like, he replies, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus then tells Bartemeus to go on his way as his faith has saved him. Bartimaeus received his sight, and then he “followed him on the way.”

The story of Bartimaeus is a paradigm—an archetype—for the faith story of many of us. We all need insight to be able to see with the eyes of faith, but we also need courage in to go to Jesus. He calls all of us to Himself. It takes the insight of faith in order that our old life will die for the new life in Him to take place. It takes courage to change and be true disciples of Christ. We all know how difficult it is to reconcile our actions—to take stock of ourselves as Christians, and to then change—but “Take courage…Jesus is calling you.”

We know that blindness may be a metaphor for a lack of wisdom, faith, or understanding. In faith we know that all we need to do is ask like Bartimeus, “Master, I want to see.” We all yearn for the grace that faith brings! In answering the call of Jesus, we must also ask for the courage to follow him on the way. Our faith demands much, it is not an easy road to follow.

Today we sing the familiar old hymn, ‘Amazing Grace’. “I once was blind but now I see…” As you sing those words, give thanks to God for the grace of eyes of faith, for courage, and for the opportunity to be together in worship and praise. We are all Bartimaeus, in that our faith has saved us, too.

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

P.S. Have you signed up for a Ministry yet?

This Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time both the Old Testament Scripture and the Gospel today speak of suffering servants. In Isaiah we hear that the will of the Lord will be accomplished because of the servants’ suffering. The Gospel reminds us that Jesus came to serve, and we must emulate His example. We must take up our cross, as Jesus did. His agenda must be our agenda. This must be our ambition… to serve, and to not “lord it over” others.

​“Ambition” by definition means: an ardent desire for rank, fame or power; a desire to achieve a particular end; a desire for activity or exertion. When James and John ask Jesus for the right to sit at both His sides in glory, Jesus takes the ‘starch’ out of their ambition, and the ambition of the other Disciples for rank, fame and power, who are indignant that James and John thought of asking for an elevated place first… Jesus is very clear: there is no place for misplaced competition, for inflated self-importance; “for self-serving, power-hungry, would-be rulers.” (Quote from the Seasonal Missalette.) So the second and third definitions—not the first one—must be our motivation, our ambition and mission as believing Christians.

So, what is your ambition? What would your life—all our lives—be like if our first ambition was to please God in all things? What would change in our lives? Next week we hear that our faith has saved us; and in two weeks we hear God’s “Love Law” in Scripture. (Love God with all your being...and your neighbor.) Can you even imagine a world where people served each other and lived in faith and love? This is Jesus’ message, and, I think, and must be our true ambition.  We are told again this week—like last weekend—to get our priorities straightened out. True ambition and our mission should reflect the wisdom and true treasure of the Kingdom: it is all about relationships; about the great moments in our lives that have meaning for our spirits. Today we are told to serve each other—an instruction from Jesus Christ himself—and this ‘serving’ is a recipe for successful relationships and Gospel living.

How can we not answer this call to serve? Discipleship must be lived out in homes, work places and our parish in many ways, and in many ministries (including the one I am responsible for: the Music Ministry). Our Church documents remind us all that although there are some particular Ministers of Music, all members of the body are called to sing! (I sometimes look around when announcing the hymns to see who bothers to pick up a hymnal…(is it Covid? Or some other reason to not participate?)

You can ask: why sing? Or even more, why join the Music Ministry? Our Church documents tell us that the liturgy, the mass, our Sunday worship, is “the great song of praise of God’s people.” This song forms us into the body of Christ. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) says singing together will “intensify the unity of the people.” This is mission! In the liturgy, the Music Ministry helps the Assembly to hear and to pray the Word of God; and so helps us all encounter Christ⎯the living song of God. We sing in thankfulness of God’s faithfulness. We sing that God’s mercy is greater than our sin; we sing that God’s love is stronger than death.

So, where, then, is the suffering servant part? For our St. Aidan musicians it means keeping the Thursday evening rehearsal commitment when it is easier to stay at home for some (or any) reason. It is wanting to sleep late and attend the 11:30 Mass, but you get up and go early because we are scheduled to sing the 9:30am Mass. It is letting our families know when planning gatherings and events that you are serious about this ministry commitment. It is singing for Christmas Midnight Mass (or the Easter Saturday Vigil) and then getting up the next morning to sing Mass again although your formal ‘obligation’ to attend Mass has already been fulfilled. Suffering and sacrifice mostly move together.

Of course, we all know this is obviously not the same suffering as what Christ endured for us! But it is serving the Community with your ability, your gifts; your time and talent and treasure—even when it is not convenient or easy. The funny thing is that while serving, you will find that you receive in turn: the satisfaction of helping someone; the joy of relationships in communities of work, service and love; the fulfillment of working in the ‘field of souls.’ And there are so many ministries in our parish from which to choose! This must be your ambition: to serve in all your life places regardless of difficulty. And if you do have the gift of a pleasant voice, however, and can sing in tune; and if you love music⎯and have the fortitude for hard work in service⎯consider signing up for the Music Ministry. Please come and see me. If not, please find another mission, then, but still: Keep singing! (At least from the pew…)

Elizabeth Dyc

Just a Note: Some songs of mission…

All things are possible for God; even marrying again at the ripe old age of 44. I never thought it would happen that I would be given another chance at a life relationship after divorce. I was a single Mom caring for a handicapped father, I worked for the church (no big bucks) and I wasn’t a svelt woman. But I prayed for a partner with whom to share my life, and I met Jim Dyc at church in the midst of my work.

​The readings for today are very special for me because my husband James and I chose this particular day⎯the Twenty-Eighth Sunday (in Cycle B)⎯as the date for our nuptials. Jim and I picked the date for our wedding from the Lectionary based on these readings because they spoke to us about our faith belief and our future together. We celebrate twenty-one years together! We were married in the presence of the St. Christopher Community during a regularly scheduled Saturday afternoon Mass with Fr. Rick Hartmann as the Church’s witness (and my former boss and pastor twice, the last time before I came to St. Aidan).

The First Reading is an exquisite piece of poetry from the Book of Wisdom comparing wisdom to a woman. If you turn from power, wealth and beauty in favor of wisdom, all good things will “come together in her company” for you, and you will receive “countless riches at her hands.” Certainly, in these terribly divisive times—where many choices seem driven by money, greed, power and profit—our hope and prayer would be that all persons (especially those in any position of leadership) would heed this wisdom from above. The riches you receive from wise choices and actions are not about your bottom line… This reading was Jim’s favorite of the readings today, as he said it represented how he felt to marry late in life, having finally found the right girl…

My personal favorite is the Psalm for today (#90): “Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy.” I love the ‘singing for joy’ as a response to being filled with God’s love. I feel that it describes what drives the Music Ministry! This Psalm is also a petition for God’s guidance, God’s wisdom and kindness—and we all have need of that—most especially at the start of forming any new family! We also pray in this Psalm that the care of God will be ours; and that He will prosper the work of our hands.

The New Testament reading from the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that “the word of God is living and effective, sharper than a two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” The Word of God cuts deep and to the bone. There is no hiding from the truth, no alternative facts, as we will all “render an account” to God for our words and deeds.

The Gospel today is the familiar story of the rich man compared to a camel passing through the eye of a needle. It is all about our priorities, our choices and our chances for salvation. This reading should cause us to pause and consider our lives and our behavior. The camel couldn’t pass easily through the eye of the “needle”—a gate in the wall of the city of Jerusalem—where those entering would have to stoop down to get in. Harder for a camel to do that…

These readings for this day, my Wedding Anniversary, the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B will ever be a reminder for Jim and me of God’s place in the everyday life of husband and wife and home. Today we ask for: the wisdom of God above all earthly things; to be filled with God’s love; to prosper our work; to live in the truth; and to choose salvation. The readings today use marriage as the paradigm relationship for all who are Baptized in Christ. God always, first and foremost; and we all need to love, honor and cherish each other. All things are possible with God. What a great gift! Happy Anniversary, Jim!

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

Just a Note: We still have room for new members in both of our choirs—the adults and the children. Still looking for guitarists and a bass player; and other wind players. This is a great opportunity to give your gifts of talent to the St. Aidan Community for the greater glory of God—please pray on it, then come and see me after any mass.

Another Note: All things are possible because our God is great and good.

You may be familiar with today’s first reading if you have had the opportunity to attend a wedding recently. This Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time begins with the familiar Genesis reading in which God creates a partner for man: “It is not good for man to be alone. God took one of his ribs…built it up into a woman…brought her to the man. The man said: “This one…is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh…”

​The Gospel reading speaks about marriage and divorce⎯but is less an instruction in this than it is about hardness of hearts in any relationship. Think about the image of what marriage is: vows to love, cherish and honor one another. What we need to remember is that this is what we are called (by our baptism) to do for all people in all of our relationships close and far! Today we are asked to examine the attitudes and the behaviors that shape our relationships, whether in marriage or family or a parish community or in our country. We are called to love one another even, mostly, when it is difficult.

The vows in a marriage ceremony contain the words; “No longer two, but one flesh. Let no one divide what God has joined…” This would be great advice for all relationships! We are joined in community, in the body of Christ by our baptism and our belief. So how to do this? We decide that today we will choose to live in love. St. James has been reminding us these last few weeks that our human existence is full of jealousy, cynicism, hate, and judgement. So we decide today that we will not allow those toxic attitudes to dominate our lives. Instead we can choose to consciously imitate Jesus' example of loving people—even, and especially, the ones we don't like—by turning the other cheek and returning good for evil. We have promised to love, cherish and honor each other. We can only keep doing our best and we will make mistakes, but all we can do is forgive and just keep trying to do better.

Today we live in such a fractured and divided society. We are driven by partisan feelings and choices, and yet we know that God has made us all in His own image. It takes a holy resolve to honor our promises as baptized Christians to escape being tossed about by those feelings of fear, greed and selfishness. Today we will choose to live by our faith in all we say and all we do. We don't know what lies ahead or what surprises (joyful or sorrowful) may come to any of us today. But we know that God has promised to be with us to strengthen, guide, help us and deliver us. We can live in confidence knowing that there is nothing we will face today that we, with God, cannot handle. We are God-confident in all the differences between us, the temptations and the crosses of our lives we must bear today and every day of our journey in life, our journey in faith. We may be confident of where our journey will end by following the letter of the love law as explained by Jesus in all things.

Living in love and faith today, we will live in hope. We can rejoice at the thought of tomorrow because of the promises God has attached to our futures. We will not be afraid of failures for God has promised to work all things for good in the lives of those who love him. So regardless of how we may feel about certain situations today, we have the power and knowledge to choose to live at a higher level: to live in a Holy Resolve of faith, hope and love—choosing always to live by our Baptismal vows. We don't have to be ruled by our partisan and divisive feelings but will see all people as the Body of Christ, all children of God, for we know that God has made us all for better things! Make your Holy Resolve today to live as One Body in Christ. If all did so, the world would be very different…

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

Just a Note: We are still looking for new singing members for our Music Ministry: both young and youthful. We also need another guitarist (electric and/or acoustic) and a bass player. Know anyone who might fit this bill? Give me their name or introduce them to me, I’ll do the rest! Thanks!

Another Note:  Here are a couple of songs about the Body of Christ—thought provoking…