Crossing from culture to faith (or the lack thereof)

The Lunar New Year is a wonderful time of year. Especially in our hectic and tiresome society today, it's a nice time for families to meet up and catch up on each others' lives.

Chinese New Year is also a time when the young generation immerse themselves into the deep Chinese tradition and culture - the giving and receiving of red packets, the exchange of oranges, and the visiting of loved ones are nice traditions to follow on the occasion.

Some things and/or habits and/or traditions, however, cross the line from plain cultural to divination. And especially this Lunar New Year season, where horoscopes and zodiacs are abundant, we have to be extra vigilant.

Our Catechism teaches us: "All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil' the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone" (CCC#2116).

It can't get simpler and straightforward than that. It is not just potentially dangerous to one's faith; it is also simply disrespectful to God, for us who say there is one.

Let's be clear: there is nothing wrong with reading any horoscope per se - reading in it self is not wrong: as long as what one reads does not challenge one's trust in God. If you honestly - and honesty goes a long way here - will not take any of what is written as even the slightest truth, it's all right to read. You're not "consulting" it, in this case.

But if you are the type who entertains thoughts like, "oh gosh, my year's going to be horrible!" or "I'd better stay away from ugly boys because they will cause me bad luck", be forewarned: you're in the danger-zone. Stay away.

We must each take responsibility in our own faith. The truth is, most of us know our own levels of faith. We know very well how much a superstitious statement can affect the way we live. We should act accordingly to ensure that we don't unnecessarily shake our faith. It is not for us to judge one another, but it is sure good to remind one another. At the very least, let's not judge one another for wanting to look at, or not wanting to look at horoscopes and zodiacs.

Happy Lunar New Year to one and all!

Feasts Days and Solemnities: what's the diff?

What’s the difference between a ‘Feast Day’ and a ‘Solemnity’?

A feast day is a day set aside for special honour God, Mother Mary, the Saints or even angels. A solemnity bears a slight difference, in that it is a festival of higher observance. In other words, a Solemnity is a ‘higher’ form of a feast.

Holy trilogy! Halloween's what?!

Oh my, the Halloween season is coming, and like the Christmas season, Valentine's Day, and many other special days on the calendar, 31 Oct is fast becoming a time for the people at Orchard Road to make some money.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when 'Halloween' is mentioned? Sweets and Candy, Trick-or-treat and costumes are common symbols. Here in Singapore, where we are probably catching on the Halloween culture, we probably think of stuff like witches (and their magical brooms) and ghosts. Oh, and who could ever miss out the pumpkins with those triangular eyes and jagged smile!

But there's a deeper meaning into the festival than these things. Far from just being a time to scare your friends and treat each other to candy, Halloween actually has a connection with Christianity and the Church.

"Like, Hallow?"
For years I said "Halloween" before even thinking of what it really means. If I had put in the little effort to find out, or if I had someone tell me when I was young what the word meant, I think I would have grown up more aware of what I should be doing.

For starters, say two lines of the Lord's prayer in it's traditional language: "Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name." Tadaah! There it is!

Hallow means "to make holy; sanctify; consecrate", or "to honor as holy; consider sacred; venerate". We say "hallowed be Thy Name" because God's name is holy, because God's name should be made holy (don't utter it without purpose or for fun), and because God's Name should be revered as holy (Mt 6:9).

Roots
We in Singapore will find this familiar because we celebrate Hungry Ghost Festival. Halloween originated from a pagan festival in ancient tribes in places like Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Those people celebrated the festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead.

Similar to the Chinese culture, pagan worshippers believed that the souls of the dead would return to mingle with the living. The purpose of wearing masks, costumes and have bonfires was to scare away those lingering evil spirits.

What's Church got to do with it?
In the mean time, in commemoration of the martyrs killed for their faith, the Church celebrated the feast of All Saints on 13 May. It was an appropriate time because it was during the season of joy after the Resurrection of Jesus.

In 835, Pope Gregory VI – through wisdom granted by God – deliberately changed the feast to 1 Nov. At important dates in the Church, the evening before would be dedicated for a vigil in preparation for the feast (think Christmas and Easter). All Saints' Day would the same. The night before the feast became known as 'All Hallow's Eve', or 'Holy Evening', eventually shortened to 'Halloween'.

Then around 1048, an influential abbot, St. Odilo of France, chose 2 Nov to commemorate those who had died. It was an understandably suitable date just after All Saints. The purpose of the feasts is to remember those who have died – both those who have been canonised by the Church as saints (1 Nov), and of all the souls of the departed (2 Nov).

"In the communion of saints, a 'perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things.' In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others... We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church's treasury... In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission of the Father entrusted to them." (CCC #1475, 1476, 1477)

This is a good time to remind ourselves of the big picture: all Christians, alive or dead, are bound together in an everlasting relationship/covenant/communion with God, and with one another. We, the Church, are a "communion of saints" that makes up the body and family of God.

We've got another reason to be thankful now, because now we have a good reason to truly celebrate 'Halloween'. It is not a season to honour witches and ghosts, but a time to take another stab at being holy. Observe it the right way and we're that much closer to truly celebrate Hallow'een. In turn, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day will hold much more meaning.

Otherwise, we might as well celebrate hollow'een, because all our celebrations would be empty.



Halloween challenge

• Be holy: take courage, separate yourself from secular thinking and secular attitude, and try be what Christ wants you to be.
• Pray for all who have passed on: they have no one to pray for them – we are their intercessors! Come up with a list (whether its two people or 20, it doesn't matter), and say one decade of the Rosary for them.
• Share: Talk to friends about the roots of Halloween when the topic arises! It does not have to sound all theological, but even a simple "bet you didn't know that" type of conversation could make a difference! This is excellent opportunity to share your faith.

Happy Hallow'een to one and all!

- Updated 31 Jan 2007

References:

• CCC#1475: In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things."86 In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.
• CCC#1477: We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church's treasury, which is "not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the 'treasury of the Church' is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ's merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy."
• CCC#1477: "This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unity of the Mystical Body."