In the Episcopal Church, we recognize November 1st as All Saints Day. Over 2,000 years, many people have met the criteria for being called a saint. In reality, all faithful Christians deserve this title. On Sunday, we will recognize all family members who have died over the past year.
Another name often given for this
celebration is All Hallows Day. As with many holy days, the day before is
called eve
. We have corrupted All Hallows Eve into Halloween. Is it any
wonder ghost stories play a major role?
My Boy Scout troop frequently camped overnight at Camp Yatasi just north of Minden, Louisiana. We often hiked the five miles to Minden on Saturday night to see a movie. We always took a break at the entrance to a cemetery - the halfway point. The return hike was always after dark and scary pranks there were common.
My senior year in high school, our youth group hosted a Halloween party at the church. We borrowed a real coffin and dressed one of the guys up as dead. Like any good haunted house, he came up out of that coffin and the younger kids ran out screaming.
All of this was good clean fun but
enough events have surfaced through the years to at least raise eyebrows. For
example, my grandfather had been in a coma for several weeks after a heart
attack. Suddenly, he sat up in bed and clearly said Harry Macgovern, what are
you doing here?
before he fell back on his pillow dead. Harry had been his
best friend until he died a year earlier.
Mother would occasionally have one
of those dreams
where she knew someone had died. Sometimes, she knew exactly
who it was and never missed. One morning, I awoke early from a dream. I knew when
the phone rang Mother had died.
In John 20:19-29, Thomas is convinced the other ten disciples are telling him a ghost story. They claim Jesus appeared to them in a locked room but Thomas is not buying it. Not only does he want to see Jesus, Thomas wants to put his fingers in the nail holes and his side where the spear pierced Jesus while on the cross.
A week later, Jesus again appeared in a locked room and Thomas got his proof. Do you have to see to believe?
Grace and peace in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(J. Wesley McComb is a published author and a member of Christ Episcopal Church, 1534 7th St, Slidell, 643-4531.)
© by The Slidell Independent newspaper; originally published on October 29, 2009. Used by permission of publisher and author.