From the earliest days of the Church, a subtle marketing technique has been a part of our evangelization methods. Church fathers loved to take a pagan season and turn it into a Christian feast: The winter solstice was transformed into Christmas; the spring equinox our resurrection feast. The feast of All Hallows Eve is no exception. The fall equinox speaks of evil and darkness in the pagan world. In her wisdom, mother Church celebrates the feast of our brightest stars, the saints. As the American culture encourages our children to focus on evil at Halloween, parents and catechists should put their feet down. There is no place in our homes and classrooms for any glorification of evil. Whether it is Dracula, devils, monsters or witches, they simply don’t belong, and their presence undermines all that is good in the lives of children. To allow the scary things from the dark side to invade the imaginations of our little ones diminishes the light of Christ in their formation. Let all of us who preach the gospel celebrate that light by avoiding even a hint of evil this Halloween.

My catechetical formation took place in the ancient days of the ’50s and ’60s. While there were a lot of things to memorize, there was one aspect that gave me special delight. Each day, sister would tell us a saint story: St. Patrick and the clover, St. Anthony finding lost items, St. Lucy and her eyeballs. There was a saint for every day and a little wisdom to emulate. Today’s catechist has a treasury of saints to share with students. With the feast of All Saints coming near, this is a wonderful time to think about teaching about the saints. If you are not up to snuff on saint stories, check out our online Saint of the Day feature at AmericanCatholic.org or treat yourself to a delightful encounter with Saints at the Dinner Table, by Amy Heyd. Amy encourages us to enter into the spirit of St. Andrew, St. Brigid and many more by eating what they may have eaten or something that symbolizes their life. The introduction gives great ideas for ways to use the book that can easily be adapted for the classroom. She makes the saints palatable in more ways than one. This book is truly food for the soul, especially our students’ souls. With Halloween around the corner, gathering for a feast with the saints at a supper table is a perfect way to celebrate the eve before the feast of All Saints. Whatever manner you choose, introducing the saints into your lesson is a delightful way to proclaim the gospel. After all, who doesn’t love a good story?

Believing in forces for good naturally requires that we also acknowledge the existence of forces for evil. Some of the stories in the Book of Genesis in our Old Testament reveal some early people’s viewpoints and explanations of how good and evil interact in our world, God’s involvement with people and the consequences of sin. The two accounts of creation and the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Ark, and the Tower of Babel all give us a glimpse into the human inclination to sin and its effect on our relationships with God, ourselves, other people and the natural world.

It seems that the Bible study groups at our parish are always looking for a new way to explore the Scriptures. Here’s another offering from Kimberly Hahn that your Bible study group will love.