Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we gather in the peace and light of our Lord, we turn our attention to something that seems harmless to many, but, when seen through the eyes of our faith, reveals a deep spiritual danger — Halloween. In recent years, the secular world has taken what it sees as a harmless holiday of costumes, sweets, and festivities. But we, as Orthodox Christians, must approach this cultural phenomenon with discernment. For us, Halloween is not simply a costume party. It is a time when darkness is celebrated and death is trivialized. This is not the way of Christ, who is Himself the Light and the Life.
St. John Chrysostom, the Golden-Mouthed preacher, once said, “Whatever you may do, do it as if in the presence of God.” Can we say with confidence that dressing as ghosts, witches, or demons is something we would do in the presence of our Lord? Halloween is rooted in ancient pagan practices, and these roots are not harmless; they carry a deep resonance with the demonic. The veneration of fear, horror, and the macabre can never bring glory to God. Our Holy Fathers, from St. Basil the Great to St. Gregory the Theologian, continually warned us to be vigilant about the influences we welcome into our homes, our families, and our hearts.
Elder Cleopa of Romania, one of the most recent voices of Orthodoxy, reminded us, “The devil does not sleep and has many tools to lead us astray.” Halloween is one such tool, my friends. When we celebrate Halloween, even with innocent intent, we open the door to influences and symbols that are not of God. The skeletons, the ghostly costumes, the spells and occult symbols — all of these point us away from Christ, inviting us instead to a fascination with death and darkness. Halloween teaches children, our most innocent, that these symbols of death and fear are “fun” or “just pretend.” But these impressions are not harmless. They teach our children to embrace fear, to find humor in what is morbid, and to trivialize the true nature of evil.
Think, then, of what we are showing our children when we celebrate this holiday. St. Paul warns us in his letter to the Ephesians, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Eph. 5:11). This command is not simply to avoid evil but to speak out against it. As Orthodox Christians, we are called to be witnesses to the Light, not participants in darkness. We cannot stand by and let the culture around us define for our children what is fun or acceptable if it goes against the gospel. Our Lord Jesus Christ told us, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:14). We are that city, and we cannot dim our light for the sake of fitting in or going along with what others may do.
Some may argue that Halloween is harmless, that we can participate lightly without any real harm. But the Holy Fathers repeatedly teach us that our path is one of purity and holiness. We do not flirt with darkness to see how close we can get without falling in. The Holy Fathers call this mindset a spiritual danger. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, in his writings on spiritual warfare, said, “Do not open the door to the passions, even if they knock softly.” Halloween may seem like an innocent knock, but it is a crack through which darkness can seep into our lives and into our homes. Even a small opening, dear brothers and sisters, can allow a great darkness to enter.
So, what do we do in response? How do we turn our children’s attention toward what is holy and beautiful without feeling isolated from the world? The answer is found in Christ, who is the center of our lives, the light that shines in the darkness. We do not need a holiday that revels in fear or death because we have a God who conquered both. Let us instead find ways to fill our homes with prayer, love, and the beauty of our Orthodox faith. For example, the night before Halloween, on October 31, we celebrate the Feast of St. John of Kronstadt, a man who dedicated his life to charity, prayer, and service. Why not turn our focus to celebrating the lives of saints, who bring us closer to the love and light of God? Why not hold gatherings that emphasize our Christian values, our joy, and our fellowship?
St. John of Kronstadt
It is not enough, dear friends, to simply abstain from Halloween. We must actively fill our children’s lives with examples of goodness and holiness. If we show them the joy that comes from a life in Christ, they will not long for the hollow excitement of Halloween. If we teach them to love the saints, they will not be drawn to skeletons and ghosts. Our homes, our families, and our lives must be filled with prayer, icons, and reminders of God’s love so that the counterfeit “joys” of the world hold no power over us.
Let us, then, make a firm commitment: to honor God with our choices, to protect our children from worldly influences that draw them away from Christ, and to be ever vigilant against the deceptions of the evil one. St. Seraphim of Sarov reminds us, “Acquire the Spirit of Peace, and thousands around you will be saved.” Let our homes be places of peace, of prayer, and of purity, so that all who enter may feel the presence of God, and our children may grow up as children of the Light, not of the shadows.
In Christ, we have the strength to stand apart from the world, to choose holiness over convenience, and to bring light where others celebrate darkness.
Let us embrace that call fully, with joy, for we know that our Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world.
Amen.
Sermon by Priest Nectarios Yangson
