Of one thing, I have never been more sure. We are living in the end of times. Halloween has been getting bigger and bigger each and every year since I was a child.
"13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 [a]Because narrow is the gate and [b]difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Jesus told us this.
And as I have watched over the years, Halloween rise and rise and rise and Church attendances getting smaller and smaller, I am of the firm opinion that the devil gains ground. And he gains it through innocuous things like halloween.
On the face of it, it appears as harmless fun. But if you are celebrating halloween, do you know the origins?
Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31, and Halloween 2021 will occur on Sunday, October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1.
This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.
In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.
When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.
So as children of GOD, should we be celebrating halloween?
More and more halloween seems to celebrate the macabre, the death the witches and the evil.
I must ask myself, what would Jesus do if he was alive now over halloween?
My answer would have to be, He would not celebrate this. We are told not to consult mediums or to worship other gods. By celebrating halloween, we are paying homage to these practices.
Today, let us remember our roles and purpose on earth. Let us behave according to what Jesus would want us to do. Let us put aside ancient pagan practices and consider our eternal life. Which is not on earth.
Prayer: Heavenly FATHER, I thank YOU that I am able to be a child of YOURS. FATHER I pray for all who do not know YOU to have their eyes opened. I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Stay truly GOD blessed today!
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