Hallowe’en is upon us, as if we hadn’t noticed the funny, scary, elegant decorations on our homes and buildings. For Christians, it is a time of both memory and of a historical action in which we assume local custom and recreate it in our own terms. Wherever there is remarkable seasonal change in terms of weather, there is also a time of reflection on the past and reconciliation with that past. In Celtic spiritual practice, this is a liminal time, that is a time when the barriers between the living and the dead, the seen and the unseen life around us, are weakened. It is a time of both power and humility; a time when we realize how we can affect the world around us and a time when we realize how small we actually are in the great unfolding of the universe.
In ancient times, people would go to holy places to greet their ancestors and sometimes to ask for forgiveness from them. The dead were thought to be active and to have power at this time; thus, one might want to wear a mask if hiding from a justly angered ghost. Or, one may wait hopefully for a message of comfort. You can see how the harvest of the land and the harvest of souls would combine in this complex community activity.
For us, in these days, it is mostly a time of remembrance, but it can also be a time when we hold our dear ones close in our minds, when we give thanks for joy shared, for work completed together. It can also be a time when we let the past go, when we forgive ourselves what was left undone or unsaid, or when we act to repair what was done or said. The wounds of the past are healed by our lives in the present. As we put to rest the past, we become aware that we, too, are human, and that the consequences of roads taken and not taken can be never known. We are kind to others and understanding with ourselves as we see that the thread of our lives is woven into God’s tapestry of love.
On Sunday, we will read the names from our burial register of those we know and love. There will be time to name others, also. Encourage your friends and neighbours to be part of this celebration of the interconnectedness of life, of remembrance, and of hope.
“There are people who vindicate the world, who help others live just by their presence.”
― Albert Camus, The First Man —