Halloween

This coming Thursday is Halloween. The word comes from All Hallows’ Eve: the eve of All Saints’ Day, 1st November.

Commercially, Halloween has become increasingly very popular. In my last parish I visited a family that seemed to have as many decorations around the house as you might have at Christmas. I see Halloween as poking fun at our fear of death and of what may be coming after. We create all these strange, wonderful and horrible creatures that come to wreak havoc and scare us. Even my dentist had bats, pumpkins, black cats and ghouls strung up as bunting in the reception.

But this Eve prepares us to celebrate life after death: we give thanks for those who are, now, experiencing the beatific vision and fullness of life. These will include family and friends in addition to those whom the church officially recognises as saints. The Church encourages us to see November as a month when we remember those who have died, because we believe in the resurrection from the dead. Death is the end of our earthly life but not the end of our existence, since the soul is immortal.

I often find myself repeating the sentence from the Preface for the Dead: Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven.

November is a good time for remembering, and praying for, our loved ones who have died and whose loss we feel. It is a time when we are particularly conscious of those in our parishes who are grieving; all those families who have lost loved ones in the past year. Here at St Thomas’, we mark this time of year with the blessing of the graves.

This year it will be on Sunday 3rd November, meeting at 3pm at the chapel of Canterbury Cemetery. And every day during the month of November, at the offertory procession at Mass, we bring up our November lists containing the names of those we love and remember, and place them before the altar.

A Prayer of Remembrance:

God, thank you for the special people in our lives, whom we are remembering in a special way during the month of November. We thank you for being a compassionate God who walks with us in the our dark moments of grief and loneliness. We are thankful for all who continue to love and support us through our grief. Lord, continue to be a light for us, giving us hope, direction and courage. May we now live our lives treasuring the memories of those special people whom we have known and loved and who help us to bring light and hope to others. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen