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Celebrating 'All Hallows Eve' and the 'Feast of All Saints' in a Pre-Christian West
Catholic Online ^ | 10/31/09 | Deacon Keith Fournier

Posted on 10/30/2009 6:48:22 PM PDT by tcg

....the dates which were “Christianized” and now host Christian “Holy-Days” were originally utilized for “Pre-Christian” (“Pagan”) celebrations. This process reflects the wisdom of the Church and a missionary approach. She has “baptized” them, recognizing the seeds of what was good within them. By immersing them in the beauty of the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the fullness of truth and the source of all goodness, she transforms them into vehicles for transforming culture. The Church is His Body. She is meant to be the home of the whole human race. As the early fathers were fond of proclaiming, the Church is the world reconciled - the world in the process of transfiguration. We who live our lives in the Church do so for the sake of the world. We should not be afraid of human culture; we are called to continue the redemptive mission of our Lord by transforming it from within as leaven in a loaf.

The early Christians always honored the dead and had a special devotion and affection for the martyrs. We have wonderful accounts like the Martyrdom of Polycarp from the middle of the second century which set forth the practices: “Accordingly, we afterwards took up his bones, more precious than the most exquisite jewels, and more pure than gold, and deposited them in a fitting place, so that when being gathered together, as opportunity is allowed us, with joy and rejoicing, the Lord shall grant us to celebrate the anniversary of his martyrdom, both in memory of those who have already finished their course, and for the exercising and preparation of those yet to walk in their steps ”. The Liturgy was often celebrated over the bones of the “holy ones” the saints, who gave their lives in love for Love Himself, Jesus Christ the Savior...

(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Current Events; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: allsaints; catholic; halloween; pope
'Halloween' comes from 'All Hallows Eve', the Vigil of the celebration of the Christian Feast of 'All Saints' “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows Eve”, the Christian Vigil of the celebration of the Christian Feast of “All Saints”. I contend that what it is becoming simply reflects the waning influence of the Christian vision in the West and presents an opportunity for Catholic Christians to do what we have always done, live like missionaries in our own culture. The Church has always recognized that cultural practices can be “mixed”, containing those aspects which elevate the human person and those which do not. However, members of the Church are invited to transform such cultural practices from within through our proper participation. That has been the missionary model of the Church for two millennia.
1 posted on 10/30/2009 6:48:22 PM PDT by tcg
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To: tcg

Sorry. We don’t celbrate demonic holidays.


2 posted on 10/30/2009 6:49:47 PM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all. -- Texas Eagle)
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To: Texas Eagle

Modern culture has tunred it demonic.


3 posted on 10/30/2009 7:02:52 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Texas Eagle

Why do you think all saints day is a demonic holiday?


4 posted on 10/30/2009 7:03:05 PM PDT by Irisshlass
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To: Texas Eagle
The truth about All Hallows Eve.

Celebrating 'All Hallows Eve' and the 'Feast of All Saints' in a Pre-Christian West

Halloween Prayers: Prayers and Collects for All Hallows Eve

Holiday Hysteria (a Christian defense of Halloween)

Hallowe'en - Eve of All Saints - Suggestions for Reclaiming this Christian Feast

5 posted on 10/30/2009 7:03:22 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Texas Eagle

Sadly, the failure to celebrate this truly Christian holiday is what is causing Halloween to become increasingly associated with paganism. Should Christians ignore the celebration of Easter because you think colored eggs are a sign of the devil, or ignore Christmas because you think decorated trees are pagan? At least some of us still understand the meaning of the holiday.


6 posted on 10/30/2009 7:13:47 PM PDT by Kirkwood
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To: Kirkwood

Use it or lose it.


7 posted on 10/30/2009 9:08:52 PM PDT by D-fendr (Deus non alligatur sacramentis sed nos alligamur.)
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To: Texas Eagle

The Christians back in the day took the pagan holy days and convert them to Christian holidays so that the believers may have an alternative, for the reason of them not falling back to paganism. Modern society has make it demonic. Society’s fascination of the occult and pre-Christian paganism gave way to occult practices like Ouija board etc.


8 posted on 10/30/2009 9:26:40 PM PDT by Rose Commander
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To: Rose Commander; Kirkwood; Irisshlass

Sorry. My bad.


9 posted on 10/30/2009 9:28:43 PM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all. -- Texas Eagle)
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To: tcg

And true conservatives are turned off by Rinos? This is far worse. The Papacy is to Christianity what Rinos are to political conservatism.

The Roman Catholic Church = Christianized Paganism...or if you please, paganized Christianity.


10 posted on 10/30/2009 10:01:09 PM PDT by sasportas
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To: sasportas

Thanks for sharing your blinding intelligence. And btw, did you notice that the number of Catholics here on FR is far higher than any other denomination in that poll awhile back?

So this is bound to bring up your reputation around here.


11 posted on 10/30/2009 10:51:34 PM PDT by ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton (To those who believe the world was safer with Saddam, get treatment for that!)
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To: tcg; Salvation; Rose Commander

FYI, the notion that All Saints Day and its vigil was chosen to supplant a Celtic pagan holiday like Samhain seems to be a myth.

The date of All Saints was changed from spring to Nov. 1 in Rome in the 740s to commemorate the dedication of a Basilica to All Saints. But at that time, All Saints was still being celebrated in Ireland in April, according to two Irish martyrologies we have of the 8th-9th centuries. The Irish probably didn’t adopt the Nov. 1 date until after Rome made its date the universal one in the 840s.

I had a longer post about this here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2374700/posts?page=59#59


12 posted on 10/31/2009 4:36:22 AM PDT by Claud
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To: sasportas
What religion are you?

How Old Is Your Church?

13 posted on 10/31/2009 12:10:26 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: sasportas
The Roman Catholic Church = Christianized Paganism...or if you please, paganized Christianity.

That's you're opinion. In America, you're certainly entitled to your own opinion, no matter how pig-ignorant, bereft of fact, blindered, hate-steeped or otherwise vicious that opinion might be.

Rock on.

14 posted on 10/31/2009 12:35:00 PM PDT by Petronski (In Germany they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist...)
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To: ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton

As a FReeper, I appreciate real conservatives, even if some of them are Catholics. Shawn Hannity, for instance, is a good conservative - though some FReepers don’t think so highly of him. But if he were to push his Catholicism rather than his conservatism, he’d immediately lose a lot of his Protestant conservative support.

One has to make a distinction between his political convictions and his religious ones.


15 posted on 10/31/2009 2:51:51 PM PDT by sasportas
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To: sasportas
As a FReeper, I appreciate real conservatives, even if some of them are Catholics.

That sentence is bigotry on parade.

16 posted on 10/31/2009 11:03:33 PM PDT by Petronski (In Germany they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist...)
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To: Petronski

Methinks you read too much into “even if.”


17 posted on 11/01/2009 10:28:16 AM PST by sasportas
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To: sasportas

Really?

So your statement that you appreciate certain people even if they’re Catholic is just normal and healthy?

How about if someone said “I like the guy, even if he is black” or “She’s pretty cool even if she IS a Jew,” would you think that was just fine too?


18 posted on 11/01/2009 10:33:31 AM PST by Petronski (In Germany they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist...)
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To: Petronski

Like I said, I make a distinction between the religious and political. I’m all for black conservatives, Jewish and Catholic ones too. The latter two, however, sometimes requires closer scrutiny before I’d vote for them. It depends on how close they follow their religion’s eschatology.

Roman Catholics are Amillennialist tyrants. Historically, it led them in the tyranny they imposed on Europe in the middle ages. Their interpretation of Rev. 20 led them to believe the Popes were supposed to be ruling the world. Due to such bad theology, if you Papist Amillennialists were ever to gain the political power in America you once had in Europe, even coming under the guise of conservatism, it would be bad indeed.

As to Judaism, their interpretation of the Torah leads many Rabbis to believe Judaism is predestined to rule the world. The New Testament disagrees, of course, but they don’t care what the New Testament says.

As a freedom loving American, I am opposed to all forms of slavery, religious and political.


19 posted on 11/01/2009 11:46:41 AM PST by sasportas
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