Day: October 31, 2013

Last-minute Halloween Post

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This last month has been barmy. I’ve been to Seattle, San Francisco, Palm Beach, as well as a Cursillo retreat. Life has been far to busy, to put it mildly. As such, I’ve kinda dropped the ball on Halloween…

Several of my friends have been sharing Why we don’t celebrate Halloween posts on Facebook. I had planned to write a blog post explaining why I celebrate Halloween, but all I’ve managed to do is post a couple of comments on one such blog.

So, rather than let this holiday pass unmentioned, I thought I would provide a few links to a few websites which offer the other side of the debate:

CA Blog

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Troparion of the Great Pumpkin – Tone 4

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LINUS AND SALLY WAIT IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH FOR THE GREAT PUMPKIN TO APPEAR

O most wonderful Great Pumpkin! * Thou didst promise to travel the earth each year on All Hallow’s Eve to seek out the most sincere pumpkin patch. * And thou didst promise wondrous presents to children over the earth * if they wouldst be good and wait on thee. * This year we ask thee to consider the sincerity of the pumpkin patch of Linus, * for he hast waited patiently upon thee for over forty years. * If thou doth deny our petition to see Linus’ pumpkin patch as truly sincere, * thou might find thyself served up as a pumpkin pie.

#DontLetThePagansHaveAllTheCandy

Faith alone?

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Martin LutherOne essential difference which divides Catholics and many Protestants is the question of faith and works in salvation. The disagreement began at the Reformation. In fact, the “material principle” of the Reformation was that we are saved “Sola Fide”, by “Faith Alone” and that works have no place in our justification whatsoever.

This subject often comes up when speaking with Protestants. I think most Catholics have had the experience at one point or another of being told by a Protestant that Catholicism doesn’t preach the Gospel, teaching instead that we have to earn our salvation. St. Paul’s epistles to the Romans and Galatians are often cited during such an exchange.

When this has happened to me in the past, I tend not to dwell too long upon the person’s interpretation of Paul’s epistles. I usually simply point out that in those letters St. Paul is contrasting faith in Christ with the works of the Mosaic Law. I turn then to the Epistle of James, since it presents a bit of a problem if someone wishes to say we’re saved by faith alone…

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