Halloween is an ancient Celtic festival that dates back some 2,000 years ago when the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. It was believed that on the night of October 31^st, the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. Ghosts? That’s pretty scary!

What else do we find scary? According to a recent Internet poll: spiders, snakes, clowns, death, heights, falling, and fear of the unknown, just to name a few scary things.

As Catholic-Christians, we frequently find ourselves doing other scary things such as: talking behind each other’s backs, seeking revenge for something that was done to us, treating others unfairly, judging others because of who they appear to be in our eyes, neglecting to look out for those in need, not standing up for what is right – doing things that we think will disappoint God.

Yet no matter what we do, how we act, what we say, or who we betray, God is always looking at us with great mercy. God loves us no matter what. God is always with us, encouraging us to keep moving forward and to keep striving to live the gospel each and every day. God wants us to understand that although we may not be perfect in our eyes, we are made perfect in God’s eyes.

When the darkness of this world envelops us and we feel like we have been left alone, abandoned or forgotten, let us remember that nothing or nobody will ever separate us from the love of God.

That’s not scary; that’s praiseworthy!