Homily: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Halloween a Time for Faith not Superstition”
by Fr. William Holtzinger
Oct. 31, 2004

Today is Sunday. Today is the Christian Sabbath. Today is the most important day of the week when we set aside time to worship God and receive his Son into our hearts in faith through the Eucharist. Today is the day before All Saints Day. All of these descriptions of today are more important than the other title for today: Halloween. Yet, for most children in our country, unfortunately, Halloween is more important. Why? Because some kids dress in costumes and go door-to-door hoping to get some candy! That sounds kinda fun, and I understand it all. I use to love to do that very thing myself. For some adults, it can be a time to prepare to pray joyfully for all their loved ones. But for many others, Halloween is a time which reinforces superstitious beliefs that can become very harmful to the faith.

In the reading from Wisdom, we hear that God is so great that “the whole universe is as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.” In other words, God is all powerful. Because he also shows “mercy on all,” God is also all loving. And finally, since God “overlooks people's sins” he knows everything about us which makes him all knowing. These three traits: All powerful, all loving, and all knowing should give us hope and joy. They should remind us that nobody is more powerful, more loving, or more wise than God. It is because of these facts that we can say with Psalm 145, “I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.” But precisely because today is Halloween, let me offer some reflections about questions that often occur during this time.

As we grew into our teen years, we explored and investigated the world around us. Curiosity is a good thing. But, not all methods of exploration are helpful or healthy. God gave us curiosity and an ability to understand many things. These are all ways for us to come to know God and the creation he has made. But, too often, people get caught up into things that steer them away from God.

Most people on Earth believe in a divine being and a supernatural world. We Christians do too. Yet, we want to have a healthy curiosity and an openness to God's grace in our lives. But, there are people who want you to believe things that are simply not true. The most fundamental lie is that evil overcomes good. When people believe this, all kinds of terrible things can happen in their hearts. So where are you in this? Let me begin by asking you questions?

Is the Devil real? (wait) The Church says yes! But you must remember that Satan is not an equal to God. There is no equal to God who is Father, Son, and Spirit. Remember the reading from the book of Wisdom? It is God who create the universe, not the Devil. Satan is a fallen angel and is called the “father of lies.” As a baptized Christian, you do not need to fear him. You have been given the Holy Spirit in your baptism which empowers you by grace to overcome Satan. Invoke the Lord's name and evil has no chance. I wish more people believed this truth.
Maybe you know someone who is caught up in this problem. Do you know someone who has blamed Satan for the bad behavior of their child? This, my friends is an unhealthy explanation and is most always false. Yet, it is not uncommon for people to come to me asking to bless their children because the devil is in them. My friends in Christ, YOU can bless your children. In fact, do it every day. Show how much you love them by invoking the Spirit of love upon them. Do not give to Satan anything that is not his. Just because a child is having bad dreams, that does not mean that they are possessed by any devil.

Years ago near Halloween time, I went to the house of a family who claimed that their house was haunted. Their children were having nightmares and were claiming that they were seeing ghosts. When I arrived to the house, I couldn't help but notice that they had decorated their house with very scary Halloween images, scary enough to even frighten an adult. These decorations were all over. So, their children couldn't go anywhere without having creepy things around them. Furthermore, they claimed that two rooms, in particular, were active with ghosts. When I went into the rooms, I could hardly even see... because there were no lights at all in the rooms! This house was not haunted. Rather, the parents used poor judgment, let their imaginations run wild, and let their lack of faith and education influence their decisions. This was a prime example of curiosity gone bad. In their parental misjudgment, they created an environment that would inherently bother their children. There were no images of faith anywhere to be found. They gave credit to Satan without ever even considering natural causes. By sharing this story, I am not intending to discount spiritual events in the world. Indeed, I have been in homes and situations were events cannot be explained. Recall that Jesus is recorded to have battled against evil spirits many times. Pope John Paul II has even performed exorcisms. Yet, these events are extremely rare. Before the Church ever concludes the existence of particular paranormal events, all natural causes are eliminated by a thorough investigation. Yet, too often we don’t do the same. This gives Satan unwarranted attention and credit. Remember that God wills to be present in our homes more than any evil spirit. So, bless your homes. Put images of faith in your house. Create reminders of the greatest power who is love and give no undue attention to the Devil and his works.


What about the evil side of Halloween? This festival does not mean “of the devil” as some fundamentalist Christians might tell you. It is the evening before we celebrate the feast of All Saints. The festival that follows is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead. All three of these days are ways to celebrate the Communion of Saints. By these celebrations, we recognize and pray for all those who are in heaven and those who have died and are on their way to heaven.

What about Magic? Does Magic exist? Can someone change a teacup into a mouse like Harry Potter did in his movie? The answer is clearly no. Magic is a form of illusion. Magicians today are more honest than in previous years. They prefer to be called illusion artists.

Another question: Can people predict the future or have supernatural knowledge about things they couldn't normally know about? In other words, does Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Exist? The Church would say, yes. There are plenty of examples of saints who have been given special knowledge about the immediate future or words of prophesy from God. But, such a power is a gift of the Spirit. It is rare, but a gift that is meant to help the Church and give glory to God, not the Devil. Then the question must be asked, do you rely on or believe in psychics? Whether or not they possess the gift of the Holy Spirit to perform their duties, such behaviors are disordering God’s intent. We should never place our hope in those who would profit from such acts nor should we place our trust in their words as they are more likely frauds and counterfeiters than the real thing. Remember the First Commandment: Do not put any other gods before me. Do you place your hope and trust in horoscopes, tarrot cards, Quiji boards, crystals, tea leaves, or fortune cookies? These might seem harmless. Yet, they may very well demonstrate who your real god is. Do you spend time in the Occult? Know this: All things of the Occult are not for God and their “gifts” are counterfeits and dangerous to the faith life of a Christian.

How much does superstition influence your beliefs? Do you believe in luck or place your faith in urban legends? For example, some people believe that today’s football game between the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers will predict the outcome of the presidential election. How is this possible? Since 1936, the outcome of their last home game has correlated with the outcome of the presidential election. When the Redskins won, the incumbent won. When they lost, the challenger won. So do you believe that their game performance actually determines the outcome of the election given the statistical data? It would appear that the dice are weighted. Yet, that’s superstition as there is no real connection between the two events. You see, the argument is based on bad math or, more accurately, a poor understanding of statistics and probability. While improbable that such a statistic would occur, making a cause and effect connection demonstrates a faith in an empty fate. (see http://www.snopes.com/sports/football/election.asp to see the data).

The fact the the world series was won by the Red Sox also demonstrates that history is not necessarily a predictor of the future. The urban legend called the Curse of the Bambino is more superstition. Ever since the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees, they haven’t won a single World Series. But, then again, the Mariners haven’t won a world series either.

Recall last year when a enthusiastic fan interfered with a fly ball during a Cubs game and was blamed for the loss. In fact, the poor fan was escorted out of the stadium for his safety and the dramatic destruction of that game ball made headline news. My friends, that is classic superstition!

The bottom line is that God is bigger than any evil. Just read any of his miracle stories in the Bible and you will quickly realize that all powers of evil were no match for Jesus or any of his followers. Remember that WE are still His followers and so share in that same power.

Today is a day to put to test what you really believe. Are you superstitious or faithful? These two are not compatible with each other. God has given each of you a calling, a calling to “powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose.” (2nd Reading) And due to your baptism, you have been given the authority of Christ to overcome evil. That’s real and potent power! And so today, instead of reciting our creed, I am going to lead us in the renewal of our baptismal promises that we make at every baptism. Through this proclamation of faith, we are given a share in the life of Christ.” Through this profession of faith, Christ can once again declare as he did for Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house.”