Halloween: A Holy Night?

 I really feel that Halloween has gotten a bad rap in our culture. It is best known for being all about ghosts, goblins and psychotic murderers, but its roots trace it to a "hallowed" eve when we are to honor those ordinary saints who have died (the night before All Saints Day). Since I've always loved Halloween, I've found it a bit sad that many Christians reject it as an occult celebration, when it actually should be a time for giving thanks and accepting blessings. Therefore, I am reposting my thoughts on this evening from one year ago, based on a little bit of research that I found interesting:

This morning, as I'm thinking about getting out the Halloween candy for trick or treaters and carving my pumpkin, it dawned on me that I really don't know much about the history of Halloween.

I've always enjoyed seeing the little children in their costumes as they come to the door for treats and I had plenty of fun when my own kids were small. I know that it falls on the eve of All Saints Day and is supposed to be a time when the ghouls roam or something like that, but I admit, the details are a little fuzzy.

So, I did a little research and found out it really has a fascinating history. Halloween comes from an ancient Celtic festival called "Samhein" meaning summer's end, when they believed the dead could walk among the living. Christianity eventually adopted this tradition, as it did many pagan ideas. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory lll established November 1 as All Saints Day and the night before became "Hallow" or holy, hence Halloween.  Rather than being a time when ghosts and ghouls roamed loose, it was meant to be a time to honor and pay respects to the dead. It is believed that the tradition of trick or treating began in the United Kingdom when people went from house to house asking for small loaves of bread in exchange for prayer as a way to celebrate this holy day.

It seems to have made its way to America in the 1800's, when Scottish and Irish communities brought the tradition of "souling" and "guising" (the practice of dressing in costume and begging for treats) and made it a tradition that has been popular ever since.

I guess I now have a new perspective on Halloween after learning all that history. I like the idea of honoring those who've passed on, spending some time in prayer and then just having some good old-fashioned fun!

 

Carpe Diem

 We're probably all familiar with the phrase "Carpe Diem", which is commonly translated from Latin to mean "seize the day!", or live in the moment, with little thought for the future. It traces back to Roman poet Horace's "Odes" written over 2000 years ago. A more accurate translation  actually refers to "plucking the day" as in gathering ripe fruits and flowers or "smelling the roses" I guess you could say. It reminds us to fully experience all that life and particularly nature has to offer us on a moment-by-moment basis, not putting things off for some future day, but enjoying all that is given to us as each day unfolds.

I thought of the phrase this morning as I was recalling a conversation I had yesterday with my brother-in-law, who lives on the West Coast and is visiting with his wife, Tom's sister. We were at a family reunion dinner, enjoying the company of siblings and children gathered from Oregon, New Mexico and Florida, a few of whom we hadn't seen in five years. As we were saying goodbye and talking about our next visit to Oregon, my brother-in-law said, "We just can't be on the five-year plan anymore because none of us knows how much time we have left." The truth of that statement really hit home: it is something that we usually don't like to think about (facing our own mortality), but it's essential for all of us to remind ourselves of that everyday, regardless of our age.

It's so easy for us to get caught up in the busyness of life, trying to make sure the bills get paid and we're able to accomplish everything on our to-do lists, that we can lose sight of how precious and fleeting it all is. There are no guarantees for next year or even for tomorrow, even though we like to put a great deal of effort into planning future events and looking forward.

So today, I am going to enjoy the sunshine, pluck the last of the flowers from my garden, and have fun at the pumpkin farm with my daughters and granddaughter, fully immersing myself in the experience of being alive. Carpe Diem, everyone! 

 

Ring of Fire

 This past week, two major events occurred in the world. The first: war broke out in Israel; a brutal attack by terrorist groups that showed no mercy to civilians. A few of Good Shepherd's own parishioners, as well as others, were on their way to visit the Holy Land at the time, putting them in great danger. Thankfully, they are safe, but tragically, many others are not. War, as always, results in a senseless and horrific disregard for life.

Events in nature, by contrast, demonstrate the beauty, order and majesty of Divine orchestration. The second event happened this past Saturday, October 14: a spectacular astrological event called an "annular" or "ring of fire" eclipse. which was visible in a precise arc across portions of the U.S.

"Since total solar eclipses are so rare and unusual, it’s tempting to think of them as random coincidences of nature. But they’re nothing of the sort. In reality, they follow a complex pattern of physical and mathematical rules that makes it possible to predict their occurrence years in advance, as people have been doing since ancient times. This pattern depends on the sun, moon and earth having exactly the right size, composition, relative distance and motion with respect to each other. If there were any variation in any of these properties, total eclipses as we know them would never occur". (S,Sztersky, Focus on the Family)

It really was an amazing sight to behold. As Tom and I watched the live video of the "ring of fire" eclipse on Saturday at NASA.com, we were filled with awe at such an incredible display of cosmic beauty. I thought of our daughter and her family, watching it with solar glasses from a mountaintop in New Mexico and tried to "tune in" to their experience. It gave me some comfort to think that, in a way, we were watching it together. In a world where we're separated by time and space, we can look up, give thanks for God's beautiful creation and feel connected.

When we're overwhelmed by thoughts of human misery and war, we can be assured that there is Divine order, evident all around us, in the beauty and majesty of nature.

October Surprise

Sometimes in life, you can pray for someone or something to blossom for a very long time with seemingly no result. Then suddenly, in some kind of special moment of divine right timing, all your care and energy is rewarded with a healing, a changed attitude, or, in the case of this morning's story, a flower bud.  

   Let me explain with a little real life parable: It's no secret that I love to garden; I take great joy and comfort in caring for the living things that I've planted. One of the flowers that I've most enjoyed over the years is Cosmos, but I had never before grown these beautiful pink and purple daisy-like flowers from seed. So this past spring, I bought a package of Cosmos seeds, planted them in special potting soil and waited for them to germinate. They rewarded me with dozens of tiny plants which I transplanted into pots and throughout my garden beds, imagining the beauty of those flowers to come.

 I watered and fed them faithfully and they did indeed grow into tall. lush, healthy looking plants with their characteristic lace-like leaves. Every morning, I checked them for any sign of a flower bud, but they all appeared to be barren, right through to the end of summer. One day, towards the end of September, I thought about dumping the pots in the woods and giving up. But something said, "No. just wait..." 

Imagine my surprise when, one week into October, after a spell of very warm weather, I walked into the garden and found that every single Cosmos plant was covered with flower buds ready to open! I have about 20 very tall plants that each have about a dozen flower buds! All my prayers, care and tending had finally paid off, in God's timing, not mine. I am trusting that those buds will open before the first frost and I will be rewarded with beautiful flowers to show to my granddaughter when she come to visit in two weeks.

The moral of the story? Don't give up, whether it's a flower plant, a person, or a situation in your life, have faith that all will be well...

in Divine Right Timing.

Loving Yourself

To celebrate my birthday yesterday, instead of obsessing about being another year older and therefore closer to old age and all that we fear about it, I found a post that I wrote in 2021 about being kind to oneself. I believe this is something that we all need to be reminded of from time to time,regardless of our age. 

I quote myself here as well as a very helpful Tibetan heart meditation:

 "This past weekend, I went into one of my favorite stores and bought something for myself -- three things actually; items that I had been needing for some time but had been putting off shopping for. I was surprised at how good it made me feel to be kind to myself in this very basic way.  

This may sound trite to people for whom self-care comes naturally. But for those of us who spend most of our time caring for others, it is an important reminder to follow the second commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  We tend to forget the second part of that commandment as we focus on loving and caring for those around us. But in God's eyes, we are important and worthy of love as well.

Clearly, this message is a theme that has carried through last week (the importance of carving out "me time") and expands today, as I personally focus on how God is speaking to me and share this with you in the hopes that it will have relevance to your life as well.

Recently, I read an article about a Tibetan Heart meditation that can help us to accept God's unconditional love and support and to love ourselves in turn":

Begin the practice by imagining yourself in a landscape you associate with peace and joy...  Allow the full beauty of the place to penetrate and inspire your every sense.  Recall its scents and colors, its light, the contours of its perfection. Allow the inner security you once felt in the place to infuse your whole being.  Now imagine and invoke in a cloudless and brilliant blue sky in front of you that representation of the Divine that most moves you and with whom you feel most identified.  If you cannot imagine any one form, invoke the Divine as a blazing light that is appearing to show you the boundless love He/She has for you. Start to pray tenderly to this Being: "I am deeply and fully grateful...open to me the treasure house of your heart and make me alive in truth and love".  When your heart is completely open, speak out of the depths of whatever you are going through at this time; don't try to conceal any darkness, sadness anguish or fear. Fully express whatever is in your heart and imagine or experience that there is a steady stream of radiant white light being poured into you through the top of your head and pulsating in warm, blissful waves of love and acceptance.  Let this light wash over you completely as you release any trouble or concern and allow all to be enveloped in unconditional love.  As the peace and solace this practice is bringing you deepens, allow yourself to relax completely in the bliss and protection of the Divine Presence. 

 Know that you are loved.

*adapted from "Purifying and Strengthening the Heart", by Andrew Harvey

  

Give yourself permission to love yourself today and be thankful for every moment...