There are lots of signs of Halloween around our communities. Ghosts, skeletons, Jack-O Lanterns, gravestones and the like. Americans spend more money on Halloween decorating than any other holiday except for Christmas. In the growing darkness of our daylight hours diminishing, we seem to need a way to deal with the prospect of evil in our world.
Most, if not all, world religions have some kind of source for evil in the world that fits into their theological thinking. Sometimes evil is a personification like the devil or satan. Other sources of evil are the world itself, or living in a worldly manner rather than a religious way. Some cite our own human inclinations to think or do evil things.
For children, Halloween seems to be an attempt to overcome scary things. Dressing up like a ghost, a witch, a monster or a villain gives the child a sense of control over that scary part of life. As adults, we are challenged by evil all the time. Corruption in business or politics fills the media. I know someone who sat on a Grand Jury for a six-month term, and they were appalled by the evil on which they had to decide if there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
Faith communities, at their best, seek to give solace and comfort to those who are beset by forces of evil in their lives. The death of a loved one, the huge hurt of divorce, the son or daughter seemingly lost to addiction, and the constant presence of disease or other affliction—all these and more are in our midst or near the edges of our existence. We are afraid, not so much of ghosts and goblins, but of things beyond our control that can upset our sense of peace and happiness.
Within Faith Communities there are fellow travelers with us on the road of life.
As a Pastor, I see the members of my faith community and know many stories of how people come to cope with their losses and fears. I believe that we are well served by sharing our fears and hurts within a community that cares for us. It means opening up ourselves to share our story, but that, in turn, opens us up to care-filled companionship along the way. Once we have experienced that, our joy is doubled and our grief is cut in half.
The scary part of Halloween is being alone with a load of sorrow, grief, loss and fear. Our Faith Communities welcome each of us to give up the rugged individualism our culture promotes and, instead, share and shape a welcoming and healing presence that recognizes we are all in this together. At the base of it all is our trust that God is with us in our suffering and fear.
Ronald E. Koch is Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gilroy. He is a founding member of the Interfaith Clergy Alliance of South County. Pastor Koch can be reached at [email protected].
