All Hallows’ Eve: “The high praise of God shall be in their mouth: and two-edged swords in their hands”

As with all great feasts in the pre-1955 missal, All Saints Day came with an Octave and a proper vigil. That’s where All Hallows Eve comes from. There are extra prayers to the Holy Ghost and for the pope. Please join me in praying this Mass, in addition to whichever Mass of the day you may be attending. Happy feast.

I would be most grateful if readers of this space could say a quick prayer for a special intention of mine today. Thank you.

Introit Wis 3:8 They shall judge nations, and rule over people, and their Lord shall reign for ever. Ps 32:1 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just: praise becometh the upright.

Collect Multiply thy grace upon us, O Lord our God, and grant that by following in holiness of life those whose glorious festival we anticipate, we may attain to their bliss.

Let us pray.
To the Holy Spirit
O God, unto Whom each heart is open, to Whom each desire speaks and from Whom no secret lies hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the infusion of the Holy Spirit, that we may be found worthy to perfectly love and fittingly praise You.

for the Pope
O God, the shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, gratiously look upon thy servant Benedict, who thou hast willed to be chief pastor of thy Church; grant him we beseech thee, by word and example to profit those over whom he rules, that together with the flock entrusted to him, he may attain to life everlasting. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Lesson Rev 5:6-12 And I saw: and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the ancients, a Lamb standing as it were slain, having seven horns and seven eyes: which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints: And they sung a new canticle, saying: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; because thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. And hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the ancients; and the number of them was thousands of thousands, Saying with a loud voice: The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction.

Gradual Ps 149:5; 149:1 The saints shall rejoice in glory: they shall be joyful in their beds. V. Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: let his praise be in the church of the saints.

Gospel Luke 6:17-23 And coming down with them, he stood in a plain place, and the company of his disciples, and a very great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast both of Tyre and Sidon, Who were come to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases. And they that were troubled with unclean spirits, were cured. And all the multitude sought to touch him, for virtue went out from him, and healed all. And he, lifting up his eyes on his disciples, said: Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for you shall laugh. Blessed shall you be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Be glad in that day and rejoice; for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For according to these things did their fathers to the prophets.

Offertory Ps 149:5-6 The saints shall rejoice in glory: they shall be joyful in their beds. The high praise of God shall be in their mouth: and two-edged swords in their hands:

Secret We load thy altar, O Lord, with the gifts we offer; grant we pray, that by the prayers of thy saints, whose coming festival we anticipate, they may avail us unto salvation.

To the Holy Spirit
Sanctify the gifts offered unto You, O Lord, and cleanse our hearts by the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

for the Pope
Look down favorably, O Lord, we beseech thee, upon the gifts we have offered: and let thy constant protection direct thy servant Benedict, whom tho hast chosen to be the chief pastor of the Church.

Communion Wis 3:1; 3:2; 3:3 But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: but they are in peace.

Post Communion When the joyful mysteries of this desired festival have been accomplished, O Lord, may we find help in the prayers of those in memory of whom they are performed.

Let us pray.
To the Holy Spirit
May the infusion of the Holy Spirit cleanse our hearts, O Lord, and may He render them fruitful by sprinkling His dew deep within us.

for the Pope
Let the reception of this divine Sacrament protect us, O Lord, we beseech thee: and may thy servant Benedict, whom thou has chosen as the chief pastor of thy Church, along with the flock committed to him derive always from it protection and help.

Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

https://divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/missa/missa.pl

5 thoughts on “All Hallows’ Eve: “The high praise of God shall be in their mouth: and two-edged swords in their hands””

  1. Halloween and the Forces of Darkness

    Where did it all come from? October 31st is a day of ghosts, witches, goblins, and grotesque creatures. It is also a day of orange and black, of candles and jack-o-lanterns. Costume parties and strange customs occupy the minds of western civilization, and all of this seems to be intensifying every year. Children wearing every kind of costume imaginable, and some unimaginable, have been going for door to door for years at the end of October saying “trick or treat” and collecting bags full of treats. In recent years, many people have been decorating their yards as cemeteries and making their houses look spooky. Even churches have Halloween parties and set up “haunted houses” as fund raising projects. Where did it all come from, and what does it all mean? Most people would say it is all harmless fun. Some would venture to say, “If there is any witchcraft in it, it is white witchcraft.” In order to truly answer both of the questions where did it come from and what does it mean, we must go clear back to the origin of it all.

    Halloween has its origin in the British Isles about 1300 years ago. In those days, there were many men and women who practiced a so-called “nature religion” known as Wicca. (The word “Wicca” means “wise ones.” The word “witch” is derived from “Wicca.”) The witches worked their spells and magic as individuals or sometimes in groups of 13 known as Covens. Sometimes the witches and wizards worked as a triumvirate or power of three. The female Wiccan was known as a witch, and the male Wiccan was known as a wizard. The word “warlock” was not used by witches to identify themselves. It is actually a Scotch-Gaelic word that means “traitor.” Satanists use the word “warlock.”

    The Wiccans were worshippers of the “Earth Mother”, the sun, the moon, and stars. Witches do not believe in Satan. The Wiccans or witches meet every Friday night at a gathering called an “esbat.” They draw a magic circle with a six-pointed star in it called a “hexagram”, from which we get the word “hex.” The coven of 13 stand “sky clad” or naked in the hexagram and work spells by chanting and doing rituals such as “drawing down the moon.” The full moon is sacred to witches, especially if it is on a Friday. It is considered to be even greater if the Friday is the 13th day of the month.

    Eight times each year, the witches celebrated a sabat and the ritual work and spell casting was always done on the eve of the sabat. The sabats are Imbolc on February 2nd, the spring equinox on March 22nd, Beltaine on May 1st, the summer solstice on June 22nd, Lugnahsaid on July 31st, the fall equinox on September 22nd, Samhain on October 31st, and the winter solstice on December 22nd, which is also known as Yule.

    Witches have special ways of celebrating for each sabat, and even though they do not believe in Satan, it is Satan who gives them the experiences they have and deceives them into thinking it is the forces of nature they are tapping into. Halloween is the most important of the eight sabats in witchcraft and is known to the witches by the Scotch-Gaelic word “Samhain”, which is pronounced “SOW-EEN.” It is believed that on that night, the barrier between this world and the next, known as the astral plane, becomes very thin. The witches believe that this allows spirits of departed ones to travel freely back and forth between the earth and the spirit realm. Thus, Halloween is the highest day in Wiccan witchcraft. On that night for many centuries, witches would work their magic and then have wild parties all through the darkness of that night. They would play games, such as bobbing for apples, because witches regard the apple as sacred. The witches would also tell stories from their personal diaries of spells known as their “book of shadows.” These ghost stories would start when the hosting High Priest or Priestess would say, “A witches’ tale and a cup of ale for the host of our guests unseen.”

    In those early days in England, there was another kind of witchcraft known as Druidism. The Druids were called “men of the oaks” and were a strange clan of men who dressed in white robes. The Druids worshipped Cernnunos, the “horned hunter of the night.“ Halloween was sacred to the Druids because their sun-god receded to the underworld on October 31st, which is why darkness increased and light decreased according to their reckoning.

    As darkness set in on October 31st, the clan of Druids would put on their white robes and hoods. They would carry sickles and Celtic crosses as they began a torchlight procession. At the beginning of the procession, a male slave was killed and dragged by a rope fastened to his left ankle. The Druids would walk until they came to a house or a village where they shouted the equivalent of “trick or treat.” The treat was a slave girl or any female to be given to the Druids. If the people refused to give a girl as a “treat”, blood was taken from the dead slave and used to draw a hexagram or six-pointed star on the door or wall of the village. Spirits of the “horned hunter of the night” were invoked by the Druids to kill someone in that house or village by fear that night.

    If the house or village gave a girl as a “treat”, the Druids put a pumpkin with a face carved in it in front of the door or gate of that place. Inside the pumpkin was a candle made of human tallow to keep evil spirits away. Thus, the Jack-O-Lantern was and is a sign that you have cooperated with Satan.

    The treats or female victims were taken to Stonehenge where they were raped and killed and then sacrificed on the sacred bonefire until only glowing embers were left. The “bonefire” is the origin of the modern day bonfire. As a matter of luck for winter survival, all villagers were expected to use the glowing embers of the bonefire to light their hearths.

    As we can clearly see, Halloween is not harmless. Satan has people in our modern era mimicking the witches and Druids of old. All of this is cursed of God. We live in a time when witchcraft is being revived. Movies are filled with witchcraft and numerous television programs such as “Charmed” are teaching witchcraft to millions. The Harry Potter books are likewise furthering the cause of Satan! Halloween is no joke and is not harmless fun! This evil holiday has no part in the life of a Christian. The Roman Catholic Church borrowed Halloween from the witches, which shows how blind they are. May God help you as you read this tract to avoid Halloween and warn others that it is strictly the invention of Satan and can never be anything but evil of the first magnitude!

    – Protestant Pastor David J. Meyer
    (A former astrologer and occultist)

      1. Thank you Kono. I knew halloween was diabolical but I had no idea about this full history. The part about the origins of the jack-o-lantern and the “trick or treat” slogan are bone chilling to read.

  2. Thank you all for the full info on Halloween. It is an eye opener.
    Prayers for you today and always, Mark. Thank you for this informative blog. I learn so much from what you post as well as from others’ comments.

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