Lest we allow the world to dictate to us what we should know, say and ascribe to, let us be super clear. Halloween, which we celebrated last night, is ours – it belongs to all Catholics of the World. As with Easter and Christmas, Halloween has been stripped of its meaning and spiritual richness by commercial interests and likely through the work of other forces and powers. For Halloween is firmly and fully planted in Catholic history and devotion. It is the evening or “een” of All Hallows Day – otherwise known as All Saints Day, which we celebrate today as a Solemnity. Halloween predates modern commercialism and has deep Catholic roots. We can trace these roots simply and easily to Pope Sixtus IV who in 1484, years before Stop and Shop got its hands on it, established November 1st as a Holy Day of Obligation and gave it a vigil, “All Hallows Eve” or Halloween. Back in the 15th century, all Saints Day was day one in an 8-day celebration or octave. This Octave of All Saints was abolished in 1955 under Pope Pius XII.
So, Halloween is ours and it points to and prepares us for All Saints Day. A day we remember and honor all saints – all those, known to us, but also those who remain unknown to us, who are in heaven. Saints of every age, every generation, every race, and from every part of the world. These saints form the cloud of witnesses that speak to us, invite us, to do what they did, and to follow them in this life and into the next.
And should these holy and virtuous souls appear too distant from us, too accomplished for us to possibly relate to, then let us not forget they started their journeys exactly where we start ours: as sinful and lost souls who seek reconciliation with a Father that sends his son to find us. Like us there are many former sinners in the ranks; St. Matthew the much-hated tax collector, St. Augustine who struggled with lust as so many today do, and St. Mary of Egypt who spent 17 years in the desert to overcome her predilection to sin. We recount the ways these man and women would turn their life around and so win their race. But we should also recall those holy souls who struggled with faith itself, especially towards the ends of their lives. The little flower - St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who in the last 18 months of her life, dying from tuberculosis, would endure her trial of faith. And Mother Teresa of Calcutta who would spend the last 50 years of her life feeling abandoned and empty and missing the felt presence of God that she had known when she was younger.
All these Holy Men and Woman of God who today the church recognizes as Saints, were sinners in need of God’s grace. Who else do we know is a sinner in need of God’s grace? We need not go far.
The beatitudes we read in our Gospel today point to the saints as examples of those who struggled with and finally conformed to them. And these same saints point back at the beatitudes so that we can know how we too must go. For whether we struggle with our inclination to sin or whether we struggle with questions of faith itself, the beatitudes remain an anchor for us as they were for all saints. They guide us towards the understanding that authentic joy comes, not from wealth, comfort, power, and influence, but by a purity of heart that is not waylaid by the world. Jesus tells us we are blessed, we belong to his kingdom, we are his, by way of humility, righteousness, mercy, peacemaking, and even persecution.
I would never place myself in danger by standing between your children and free candy. So, feel free to celebrate Halloween as you wish but do not forget; Halloween points to the Saints. And the Saints point to the life of beatitude. This life is not always easy or without its challenges. But all these hurdles, difficulties and even heartbreaks will one day be seen in a clear light, and we will join the heavenly choir in saying, "Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, MA.
October 31, 2026
