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Halloween Is for Heroes, Not Ghosts Halloween Is for Heroes, Not Ghosts
(about 7 hours later)
In the days leading up to Halloween, our kids wrestled with what they wanted to be. Our youngest daughter, Miriam, chose to be a singer; Clare opted to be a pirate; and Peter became Miles Morales. Our oldest, Luke, the teenager of the group, demurred on dressing up. He probably now thinks of costumes as the province of his younger siblings.In the days leading up to Halloween, our kids wrestled with what they wanted to be. Our youngest daughter, Miriam, chose to be a singer; Clare opted to be a pirate; and Peter became Miles Morales. Our oldest, Luke, the teenager of the group, demurred on dressing up. He probably now thinks of costumes as the province of his younger siblings.
I find kids decked out in the clothing of action heroes and book characters charming. The endless stream of social media posts from friends and family brings a smile to my face every year. Nonetheless, there is something fleeting about the holiday. Costumes that are funny one year feel dated by the next. That is why I’m drawn to the original and more weighty purpose of Halloween: It was meant to be a day set aside to remember the saints.I find kids decked out in the clothing of action heroes and book characters charming. The endless stream of social media posts from friends and family brings a smile to my face every year. Nonetheless, there is something fleeting about the holiday. Costumes that are funny one year feel dated by the next. That is why I’m drawn to the original and more weighty purpose of Halloween: It was meant to be a day set aside to remember the saints.
On the Christian calendar stretching back centuries, Halloween is the day before All Saints Day. (Halloween is a contraction of “all hallows,” or “all saints,” evening.) The holiday, then, is intended to inspire imitation, not of villains, goons and goblins but of lives of heroic virtue and service. The Catholic Church, where the holiday originated, has a formal process for choosing saints that involves final approval by the Pope. The Protestant tradition, of which I am a part, is much less structured. Our saints are recognized by widespread affirmation of the lasting impacts of their lives. On the Christian calendar stretching back centuries, Halloween is the day before All Saints Day. (Halloween is a contraction of “all hallows,” or “all saints,” evening.) The holiday, then, is intended to inspire imitation, not of villains, goons and goblins but of lives of heroic virtue and service. The Catholic Church, where the holiday originated, has a formal process for choosing saints that involves final approval by the pope. The Protestant tradition, of which I am a part, is much less structured. Our saints are recognized by widespread affirmation of the lasting impacts of their lives.
Remembering the saints feels especially vital in this time of fallen heroes. One doesn’t have to look far to find a story of a religious leader, politician, musician or athlete whose life contradicts his or her publicly stated values. We fall in love with their music, athletic ability or speaking acumen, only to find out later they are cruel or abusive or hateful. Like kids on Halloween, we shuffle from failed hero to failed hero, looking for a treat only to be given a trick.Remembering the saints feels especially vital in this time of fallen heroes. One doesn’t have to look far to find a story of a religious leader, politician, musician or athlete whose life contradicts his or her publicly stated values. We fall in love with their music, athletic ability or speaking acumen, only to find out later they are cruel or abusive or hateful. Like kids on Halloween, we shuffle from failed hero to failed hero, looking for a treat only to be given a trick.
All these tales of hypocrisy can lead to a hopeless sense that everyone is out to take advantage of us and things can never change. The powerful benefit from a society in which oppressed people believe that all their actions are futile. But hope is the fuel of resistance. Hope can be inspired by the example of those who came before us. That is why we need the saints.All these tales of hypocrisy can lead to a hopeless sense that everyone is out to take advantage of us and things can never change. The powerful benefit from a society in which oppressed people believe that all their actions are futile. But hope is the fuel of resistance. Hope can be inspired by the example of those who came before us. That is why we need the saints.
Few images are more firmly planted in my imagination than those of the civil rights protests of 1963 in Birmingham. As a child, I was transfixed by the video images of courageous men and women fighting against a system designed to keep Black people in line. The first time I heard the protesters sing “And before I’d be a slave I’ll be buried in my grave and go home to my lord and be free,” something came unshackled in my soul that no later disappointment has been able to chain since. Martin Luther King Jr. and many other civil rights leaders were dead long before my mother gave birth to me, but the testimony of their lives mattered.Few images are more firmly planted in my imagination than those of the civil rights protests of 1963 in Birmingham. As a child, I was transfixed by the video images of courageous men and women fighting against a system designed to keep Black people in line. The first time I heard the protesters sing “And before I’d be a slave I’ll be buried in my grave and go home to my lord and be free,” something came unshackled in my soul that no later disappointment has been able to chain since. Martin Luther King Jr. and many other civil rights leaders were dead long before my mother gave birth to me, but the testimony of their lives mattered.
They helped me see that a life in service to God and to others is not a waste of time. The powerful do not always win. The world is changeable, and God can use people to change it.They helped me see that a life in service to God and to others is not a waste of time. The powerful do not always win. The world is changeable, and God can use people to change it.
As a parent of four Black children, I care deeply about representation. I want my kids to see people on screens and in history books who look like them. But more than resemblance, I want them to find inspiration. “Black Panther” was special not because all the lead characters were Black. “Black Panther” was special because King T’Challa and the other characters in the film depicted Black excellence and the desire to do good. That is why Peter is drawn to Miles Morales, a young, brown-skinned kid trying to do the right thing with the powers given to him.As a parent of four Black children, I care deeply about representation. I want my kids to see people on screens and in history books who look like them. But more than resemblance, I want them to find inspiration. “Black Panther” was special not because all the lead characters were Black. “Black Panther” was special because King T’Challa and the other characters in the film depicted Black excellence and the desire to do good. That is why Peter is drawn to Miles Morales, a young, brown-skinned kid trying to do the right thing with the powers given to him.
My children need a vision of the virtuous life as something worth pursuing. They need to see that holiness is beautiful.My children need a vision of the virtuous life as something worth pursuing. They need to see that holiness is beautiful.
Saints are not simply those with great outward achievements. St. Thérèse of Lisieux grew up in 19th-century France admiring the heroic actions of the saints and concluded that she could never accomplish such outstanding deeds. Instead, she chose what became known as “the little way.” She pursued the tiny virtues, believing that every interaction, no matter how small, gave her an opportunity to show God’s love through a kind word or act of service and to display patience with all the inconveniences of life.Saints are not simply those with great outward achievements. St. Thérèse of Lisieux grew up in 19th-century France admiring the heroic actions of the saints and concluded that she could never accomplish such outstanding deeds. Instead, she chose what became known as “the little way.” She pursued the tiny virtues, believing that every interaction, no matter how small, gave her an opportunity to show God’s love through a kind word or act of service and to display patience with all the inconveniences of life.
Thérèse entered a convent at the age of 15 and died of tuberculosis at 24. She wasn’t on this earth for long, but her small acts of service, love and kindness had such a profound impact on those around her that her vision of the little way still inspires people today.Thérèse entered a convent at the age of 15 and died of tuberculosis at 24. She wasn’t on this earth for long, but her small acts of service, love and kindness had such a profound impact on those around her that her vision of the little way still inspires people today.
Neither Dr. King nor St. Thérèse was perfect. Each of them had their own failings and moments of doubt. But they pushed through their doubts, accepted their imperfections and found the faith to carry on.Neither Dr. King nor St. Thérèse was perfect. Each of them had their own failings and moments of doubt. But they pushed through their doubts, accepted their imperfections and found the faith to carry on.
My children will return home from their Halloween jaunt around the neighborhood with a large bounty of candy to be sorted, and my wife and I will do our best to keep them from eating it all in the first few days. The costumes will be given away, since their quickly growing bodies mean that they will not fit next year. Miles Morales will probably be replaced by a character from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” But long after the candy is gone and forgotten, our family will continue a tradition that we started some years ago. After dinner a few times per week, we open a book called “Lesser Feasts and Fasts” that recounts the lives of the saints and discuss the saint of the day.My children will return home from their Halloween jaunt around the neighborhood with a large bounty of candy to be sorted, and my wife and I will do our best to keep them from eating it all in the first few days. The costumes will be given away, since their quickly growing bodies mean that they will not fit next year. Miles Morales will probably be replaced by a character from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” But long after the candy is gone and forgotten, our family will continue a tradition that we started some years ago. After dinner a few times per week, we open a book called “Lesser Feasts and Fasts” that recounts the lives of the saints and discuss the saint of the day.
When important people are missing from the book, I tell the stories of saints my children should know. Black parents often have to correct the record and uncover hidden figures. Black saints are often in danger of being neglected as much in death as they were in life. For a long time we were not in charge of the writing of the history of this land or her churches, so we had to store the memories of our saints in our hearts. Their memory is revered locally; it is in the land, the places where they lived and died.When important people are missing from the book, I tell the stories of saints my children should know. Black parents often have to correct the record and uncover hidden figures. Black saints are often in danger of being neglected as much in death as they were in life. For a long time we were not in charge of the writing of the history of this land or her churches, so we had to store the memories of our saints in our hearts. Their memory is revered locally; it is in the land, the places where they lived and died.
If we rely only on our national calendar or even our church calendar, we might believe that Dr. King marched alone, and that Black saints are few and far between. So I fill out the story in our home, stretching out to embrace Mamie Till and Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer and the nameless hosts that filled the streets, lunch counters and voting registration drives all over the South.If we rely only on our national calendar or even our church calendar, we might believe that Dr. King marched alone, and that Black saints are few and far between. So I fill out the story in our home, stretching out to embrace Mamie Till and Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer and the nameless hosts that filled the streets, lunch counters and voting registration drives all over the South.
I teach my children about saints from my own life. I tell them about my great-grandmother Sophia, who died when I was 3. Our family remembers her as a woman of deep piety whose faith allowed her to survive and even at some points thrive despite the racist laws and customs of Jim Crow Alabama. When asked how she bore it, her answer was always the same: “The good lord carried me through.”I teach my children about saints from my own life. I tell them about my great-grandmother Sophia, who died when I was 3. Our family remembers her as a woman of deep piety whose faith allowed her to survive and even at some points thrive despite the racist laws and customs of Jim Crow Alabama. When asked how she bore it, her answer was always the same: “The good lord carried me through.”
I recount the stories about my still-living grandfather. The sweet old man with the ever-present smile is more complex than he appears. He traveled the back roads of Alabama, dodging sundown towns to preach revivals in rundown country churches for little more than gas money and a meal. The bittersweetness of their lives is my children’s birthright. The costumes may not last beyond the year, nor will the candy survive the autumn, but I trust the memory of the saints will abide.I recount the stories about my still-living grandfather. The sweet old man with the ever-present smile is more complex than he appears. He traveled the back roads of Alabama, dodging sundown towns to preach revivals in rundown country churches for little more than gas money and a meal. The bittersweetness of their lives is my children’s birthright. The costumes may not last beyond the year, nor will the candy survive the autumn, but I trust the memory of the saints will abide.
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