Halloween and Christian Death

Had a great time for halloween.... which is always such a funny thing for us.
On the one hand, we aren't particularly excited to celebrate the night when the "Spirit world" and our world are so thinly veiled. On the other hand, we enjoy getting to see and meet our neighbors' kids and stuff like that. Before, as non- Catholic Christians, it was almost like people poo pooed you for celebrating halloween.
Now, as Catholics, we get to actually celebrate a feast day: all Saints' day, followed by All SOul's day.
This year, we will be heading to Newton Grove, God willing, where the Bishop will be celebrating Mass with as many priests from the diocese as possible and in a beautiful cemetery.... we can't wait.


It's a very Catholic thing, almost "dark" for a non-Catholic Christian, to think about holding a church service in a cemetery. Catholics tend to focus so much on death... praying for a "Good death," every day, and asking God to help them honor them in their lives because their deaths are a certainty. In Catholicism, we have relics of dead saints and Saints who bodies lie buried but incorruptible.... preserved by God's hand as if they were alive. It's truly amazing. Death is not something we shy away from.
I've noticed in lots of Annika's old bibles, the mention of the crucifixion is left out--- like, "Jesus was just really, really awesome. The end. "
Now that Annika has a Catholic children's bible.... the cross is the center.
She sees a crucifix every day. She has one in her room.
She knows about death and has asked questions about it. She's preparing for it and knowing that it exists. I love that very Catholic thing of being "focused" or prepared to die... knowing that we will face God, and doing what we can to be receptive to God's saving grace for us. It's so beautiful.



Last night the kids got to participate in a really fun family's Halloween traditions: they made homemade jack o' lantern pizzas (mom laid out personal sized doughs and the kids went through and decorated their pizzas into faces, etc) and then the dads took the kids out to trick or treat.

Here are our kids, anyways:


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Lots more to say today but since the kids are sick and I got about two hours of sleep last night, I'm not sure I can make a coherent sentence. I'll try to blog later when my mind is functioning. :)