the spirit of halloween
"Who are these people all dressed in white? And where have they come from?" —Revelation 7:13
Some people think that the name for this holy day, "All Saints," means that all people become saints and go to heaven. However, "the gate that leads to damnation is wide, the road is clear, and many choose to travel it. But how narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough the road, and how few there are who find it!" (Mt 7:13-14)
How do we escape damnation and become a saint, that is, become holy? We become holy not by our power but by the Holy Spirit (see Zec 4:6). We become holy when in one Spirit we are baptized into one body (1 Cor 12:13). We grow in holiness as we follow the lead of the Spirit, Who makes us holy (Gal 5:25). "If by the Spirit" we "put to death the evil deeds of the body," we will live and become holy (Rm 8:13). If we pray in the Spirit (Eph 6:18; Jude 20) and love in the Spirit (see Gal 5:22), we will become holy as the Lord is holy (1 Pt 1:16). We will become holy in every aspect of our conduct (1 Pt 1:15) as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19).
As we prepare for the two-thousandth anniversary of the Incarnation and for the beginning of the third millennium of Christianity, we celebrate 1998 as the year of the Holy Spirit. May this holy day be truly holy by the power of the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit!
Prayer: Father, I choose to be poor, sorrowing, and lowly in my hunger for righteousness and holiness (see Mt 5:3-6).
Promise: "We are God's children now; what we shall later be has not yet come to light. We know that when it comes to light we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." —1 Jn 3:2
Praise: "They cried out in a loud voice, 'Salvation is from our God, Who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb!' " (Rv 7:10)
Rescript: ..
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, April 4, 1998
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 8, 1998