I lived between two Halloweens: the time when Christian kids dressed up and had fun and the time when Halloween celebrations could destroy a church. It was nice to have parents who understood reality: demonic powers exist and are not to be feared or trifled with and kids dressing in costumes saying “trick or treat” are not invoking demons. I have seen remarkable things in my time and so I do not doubt the existence of supernatural beings that are infernal, but this experience has also made me calm.
Once as a boy, a demon oppressed person threatened us as children. This was not scary, even to Mom, because she heard this from God: “long ago your children passed from your protection to mine.” People could misuse their free will, but as children, God would keep us safe from demons. Devils, to the extent I think I have seen their work, are petty, ugly, and not powerful compared to Almighty God.
Yet we must also respect the role and status they once had in God’s heaven. Jude says:
But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” They were great once and so no human should despise them or be presumptuous. The danger of devils is fearing them or despising them. They use both sins, fear and arrogance, to manipulate us. The power of their old positions and their voices are what they have left. They are broken, but they were great once and so all humankind must remain wary and give what is due to them. When we must fight devils, then we call for the great power:
The Lord rebuke you!
Even in their decay, demons can appear beautiful to us. Like an aging beauty whose looks have been punished by bad living, the well informed can see the decline, but the rest of us might miss it. When an angel sees a devil, knowing what once they were, the result is horrific; damnation already visible. Most of us, unlike the greatest saints, are too removed from Heaven to know how beautiful the Beautiful is and so the roué angels, devils, seem beautiful to us. This is dangerous too.
So dabbling with devils is unwise, but so is letting them spoil a holiday. Whatever ancient peoples did on October 31, Christian people reflect on our loved ones who have gone before us in death and the great saints who defeated death even in death. We reflect on the reality of the supernatural and give the devil his due, but we are unafraid. We are people of God Almighty.
So my own family kept celebrating, as the West has always done, All Hallows. We are not bloody, gross, or sensual, because that is never good. We do recollect that there are many dimensions to reality and that we have a small status before the mystery of life and death. If we avoid sin, we take any excuse to have a party. Halloween? Why not?
We don’t mock devils or fear them. We celebrate life and reflect on death. We miss the dead, but know if they are dead in the Lord, they witness our lives and pray for us. We are unafraid, calm, and ready for a celebration of death that leads to life.
“The Lord rebuke you,” devils who try to steal our day. Let’s go celebrate.
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