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Friday, November 1, 2024
aish.;WHEN JEWS LIVED UNDER MUSLIM RULE NISSAN RATZLAV-KATZ Busting the mythical past of peace and tolerance in the Middle East;The Man Behind Goyhood;Cheshvan: Facing the Ordinary
#27 Johnny: River Euphrates Dries Up “My lords,” the messenger gasped, his voice trembling, “the Euphrates River… an overpowering bolt of lightning has struck it and… and it has instantly dried up!” OCT 31
It is an honor to have you as a member of our subscription service! Share today. #27 Johnny: River Euphrates Dries Up“My lords,” the messenger gasped, his voice trembling, “the Euphrates River… an overpowering bolt of lightning has struck it and… and it has instantly dried up!”New to Johnny? Read all episodes HERE.
Listen to the dramatic version of this episode by storyteller Angelica. A Dinner of DestinyThe room was dimly lit, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows on the walls. Johnny sat at the elegantly set table, his fingers drumming nervously on the polished wood that once held the body of the Hebrew God’s Son. Across from him, Apollyon, with his piercing eyes and enigmatic smile, seemed unfazed by the ominous rumblings outside. Thunderous warnings echoed through the night, shaking the very foundations of the epicenter of the world Chancellor. The windows rattled as if the heavens were issuing a dire prophetic proclamation. Yet, within the confines of this room, a strange calm prevailed. Johnny cleared his throat, attempting to mask his unease. “Quite the storm out there,” he remarked, his voice betraying a hint of apprehension. Apollyon leaned back in his chair, a knowing glint in his eyes. “Indeed, Johnny. But sometimes, the most profound revelations come amidst the chaos.” As the storm raged on, the two men shared a meal, their conversation weaving through mundane and apocalyptically mystical topics. Outside, the world seemed on the brink of upheaval, but inside, a different kind of tempest was brewing—one that would change the course of their destinies forever. Johnny’s voice trembled with urgency as he leaned forward, his eyes wide with concern. “Apollyon, you must listen! The Hebrew God is pouring out the relentless bowls of wrath. Each one brings devastation and suffering. We cannot ignore these signs!” Apollyon chuckled softly, a bemused smile playing on his lips. “Oh, Johnny, always the dramatic one. You worry too much. These so-called ‘bowls of wrath’ are child’s play to frighten the gullible. Let us enjoy our meal and leave the divine theatrics to the gods.” Johnny’s heart sank as Apollyon dismissed his warnings with a wave of his hand, the storm outside growing fiercer with each passing moment. The heavy wooden doors of the dining hall burst open, and a breathless messenger stumbled in, his face pale with shock. “My lords,” he gasped, his voice trembling, “the Euphrates River… an overpowering bolt of lightning has struck it and… and it has instantly dried up!” The room fell silent, the gravity of the announcement hanging in the air. Johnny’s eyes widened in horror while Apollyon merely raised an eyebrow, a skeptical smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Well, it seems the divine theatrics have taken a rather dramatic turn,” he remarked, his tone laced with depraved irony. It is time for the frogs, said Apollyon. What do you mean? Johnny pleaded. An eerie silence enveloped the room as the messenger’s words hung in the air. Suddenly, Johnny and Apollyon convulsed without warning, their mouths opening wide. Instantly, frog-like spirits began to shoot forth from their mouths, croaking and writhing as they filled the room with an otherworldly presence. Johnny’s eyes widened in terror, while Apollyon, for the first time, seemed genuinely expectant. The spirits, grotesque and unsettling, leapt and danced around the dining hall, their croaks echoing ominously against the walls begging for Apollyon’s command. After taking a deep breath, out came a loud command from Apollyon, Rise and perform great signs, go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle in the valley of Megiddo, the great land of the Hebrew God. Empower the kings to bring their warriors across the dry bed of the Euphrates to front the land of Israel from the east. Go now! Myriads of demon frog spirits departed the room with an energy that shook the walls of the hall. Apollyon looked over at Johnny with disgust. I thought I asked you to assemble the great army of Lucifaria? Apollyon shouted. Johnny rose above the table, suspended in air, filled his lungs with fiery breath and said, How dare you raise your voice to me. For I am the great prophet of doom. I proclaim this day, that our days are numbered, our doom is eminent, and we will burn eternally in the hands of the Hebrew God. Apollyon trembled uncontrollably! For he knew he angered the spirit of Lucifaria. Johnny and Apollyon heard the sound of reverberating etching. On the east wall of the dining hall an invisible hand engraved these words, Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed are My pure bloodline Jews who remain awake, keeping their garments on, that they may not go about naked and be seen exposed to the Beast’s wickedness!”
Coming up next: THE SEVENTH BOWL IS RELEASED Johnny, The Day After is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks for subscribing to The End Times Chronicles. Your paid subscription helps us advance our non-profit’s mission. Dr. Stephen R. Phinney is dedicated to providing quality media and publications that advance the Life of Christ. Paid subscribers receive free eBooks, media content, and other free stuff.Hey, fellow writers/readers, would you be open to buying me a cup of coffee? Check out this fun way of supporting my writing: https://bmc.link/drphinney
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Can Halloween Be Christianized Again? by John Horvat II October 30, 2018
Can Halloween Be Christianized Again?
As Halloween approaches, the debate over whether Catholics should join in the celebrations has reignited. Many claim it is a harmless holiday for children that Catholics may freely participate in. Others affirm that it has now descended into dark regions with the return of pagan and Satanic imagery; it should thus be off limits.
And then there are those who look for a third way to approach it somewhere in-between. They propose alternative celebrations, All Saints Day commemorations or fall festivals. In this way, Halloween, an originally Catholic feast, can be “re-Christianized” and re-purposed to promote the Faith. They hope to turn Halloween into a teaching moment for all good Christians.
Halloween Cannot Be Ignored
Finding a Christian way to celebrate Halloween is a problem for many parents. Halloween cannot be ignored. Their children will necessarily be exposed to it.
It has become a festival that is only surpassed by Christmas in economic terms. Many households now have Halloween decorations inside and outside their homes. It is a huge party night for which Americans spend billions of dollars on costumes and events. It is a big night adventure for children who engage in their traditional quest for “trick or treat.”
However, another point cannot be ignored. The darker celebrations of Halloween glorify the occult, the bizarre and the macabre. New developments in costumes make zombie-like outfits much more realistic and horrifying. The increasing popularity of Satanic movements like Wicca has helped popularize Halloween as sacred. The modern focus of Halloween is increasingly focused on a fascination with evil, horror, and gore.
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Ironically, a liberal society that deplores the rise of violence and abuse in other fields makes few objections to this bloody and macabre holiday.
Halloween’s Pagan Roots
Thus, finding a third way can only succeed if a Christian purpose and meaning of Halloween can prevail over today’s setting of the tone by the macabre. Those looking for alternatives need to go back to the festival’s roots, both pagan and Christian, to see if something might be salvaged.
The remote origins of Halloween are problematic. There is no denying that Halloween is rooted in the Celtic fall festival of Samhain. It involved many superstitions and occult ceremonies directed toward the Druid lord of death. Some historians claim the Druids practiced human or animal sacrifice and even occult orgies to mark special festivals. In this case, dressing up as evil spirits and demons was part of the celebration.
The ghastly and even toxic aspects of the pagan feast certainly stood in need of being baptized. Indeed, the Church responded to such opportunities to overturn the idols and rid peoples of superstitions. Many times, missionaries would take advantage of the habit of celebrating special pagan feast days to institute Christian feasts or holy days in their stead.
Halloween, a Feast of Charity to the Poor
This is exactly what the Church did to Halloween. In the ninth century, this pagan festival was replaced by a double day celebration remembering all the dead who are saved: All Saints Day remembers those who are uncanonized in heaven so that they might have their feast, too. All Souls Day remembers the poor souls who are saved from the eternal fires of hell yet are suffering for a time in purgatory.
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On the eve of these two feasts, the bells would ring, and town criers would remind all to pray for the poor souls. Thus, on All Hallows Eve, later Halloween, children from poor families would go door-to-door, receiving food and sweets in exchange for praying for the souls of the dead. This “souling” as it was called, gave rise to canvassing for “soul” cakes which became part of the tradition. Harmless pranks awaited the stingy givers.
The revelers would sing:
Soul! Soul! Soul-cake!
Please good Missis, a soul-cake!
Apple, pear, plum or cherry,
Any good thing to make us all merry.
One for Peter, two for Paul
Three for Him who made us all.
Halloween was thus a feast that benefited the poor on earth and those who were so much poorer in purgatory. It was a time of mirth but also great charity.
The Church as Mother
While there are times of penance and fasting in the liturgical year, there are also times of joy. The Church as a true mother provides the faithful with festive days of feasting and merrymaking. Thus, the Church has no problem with merrymaking with people dressed up in costumes to visit neighbors.
In medieval Europe, it was very popular for people “to go mummering,” the practice of visiting neighborhoods while dressed up in disguises. The revelers would sing, feast, and play tricks in return for refreshment, money or good wishes. Such mummering was very popular on major feast days, of which there were many, in the Middle Ages. They did not degenerate into rowdy or bawdy festivals like those which plague today’s de-Christianized Mardi Gras or other such feasts.
Protestant Prohibition and Eventual Acceptance
In Protestant Europe and America, Halloween was on the prohibited index of religious practices in colonial times, a list that some radical sects extended to Christmas. It was not observed until Irish Catholic immigrants in the nineteenth century brought the custom with them to their new homeland. In the twenties, a secularized version of Halloween was introduced with the practice of trick or treating. It gradually gained traction and acceptance by the fifties.
However, the more recent celebrations have stressed its pagan origins with its preternatural and ghoulish overtones. It has combined with slasher and horror films and zombie-themed parties and events to make it a festival of darkness embracing the evil side of the spiritual world.
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Thus, Halloween has returned to its pagan origins and abandoned those of Christian charity. It no longer belongs to the poor but to those engaging in amusement and self-indulgence. Once the feast of innocent little children, it now includes reveling adults. Those who celebrate do not pray for the salvation of poor souls but harbor instead a diabolical glee over damned souls.
Can Halloween Be Re-Christianized?
The question remains if Halloween can be re-Christianized in today’s world.
Resourceful clergy and parents have found alternatives that capture the imagination of children. Many of these include parties in which children dress up as saints or religious figures as a way of celebrating All Saints Day. These alternative events can be helpful in imparting some Catholic culture to children. But they can only go so far.
Such celebrations cannot compete with the super-charged media promotion of today’s neo-pagan Halloween. Children will be exposed to the ghoulish side of Halloween in stores, schools or the house decorations in their neighborhood. Like other aspects of modern culture, they cannot be ignored, or Benedict Optioned out.
Arranging a peaceful co-existence between Catholic and pagan celebrations of Halloween is bound to fail since it does not address the need to fight against evil. It prepares the child for defeat later in life, since all must eventually confront the reality of evil without the help of others.
Re-Christianizing Halloween
That is why the only real way to re-Christianize Halloween is to reject any peaceful co-existence in these cultural matters. This will happen when clergy and parents teach children to confront the world they cannot ignore or avoid. They must delve deeply into the Faith. Children must be fortified by sacramental life and prayer to engage in this battle in a manner appropriate to their age.
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Thus, any Christianized celebration of Halloween needs to reinforce the idea that there is a cultural battle going on between the forces of good and evil. Hell exists, and its fires must be avoided. What better way to demonstrate these truths than to point out the macabre manifestations of evil that appear everywhere during Halloween.
It could also serve as an occasion to point out the victory of the saints over the evils of their day. The eve of the Church’s two holy days may once again become a time to make merry and eat sweet soul cakes while praying for the poor souls suffering in purgatory.
A Soul Cake recipe can be found here.
As seen on Crisis Magazine.
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