Reflections on Faith, Feasts, and Film

Compiled by Father Scott Archer  October 27, 2020 Catholics often ask about the propriety of celebrating Halloween. The truth is that the origins of Halloween are rooted in the theology, liturgy, and popular customs of Catholics. It is said that the ancient Celts celebrated a major feast on October 31 and that Halloween’s origins lie in this pagan practice. However, the Celts celebrated a festival on the last day of almost every month – there was nothing particularly special about the last day of October. The word Halloween is a contraction of the name for the Vigil of All Hallows Eve; that is, Hallow-E’en. It falls on October 31 not to appease Celtic pagans but because the Feast of All Saints (All Hallows) falls on November 1. The feast of All Saints was originally celebrated on May 13, but Pope Gregory III, in 731, moved it to November 1, the dedication day of All Saints Chapel in St. Peter's in Rome. This feast spread throughout the world. In 998, St. Odilo, the abbot of Cluny...

By Father Scott Archer  October 25, 2020 “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18: 36). We love God because He first loved us, and our love of neighbor is based in our love of Him, enabling us to do extraordinary things for God. This is what makes our love of neighbor meritorious and true charity. Christ showed the depths of His love by giving His life on the throne of His cross for our redemption. By shedding His blood, He saved us from the power of sin and death; that is, the power sin has over us and the eternal death of hell. In His death Christ showed us the path to sacrificial love. This type of love has caused many to give up their lives, as in the case of the holy martyrs of the Church. A martyr is one who is killed for the faith and who willingly dies for Christ and the Catholic faith. Saint Catherine of Siena states, “The martyrs desired death, not to fly labor, but to attain their end. And why did they not fear death, from which man so naturally shrinks? Because ...