麻豆社

Good morning.

My ghost busting days are long past. Back when I was a parish priest, I could expect once, maybe twice a year, a call from someone troubled by paranormal events. My task was to be the spiritual house cleaner, erasing apparitions and calming down things that go bump in the night. All stuff that, with basic training, plus appropriate advice from the diocesan deliverance team, prayers and a pastoral conversation could settle. The phenomena were scary, but not malign. Indeed, I鈥檝e never met anything approaching an evil power. The history of Halloween, with its origins mixed in Christianity and beyond, is complex, but I don鈥檛 expect many of those putting on fancy dress or going out to trick or treat tonight, will expect to encounter the demonic. Nor would I see the cause of this weekend鈥檚 tragedy among revellers in Korea as an evil supernatural force.

When it comes to evil, the worst things I have met have all been of earthly origin. As Jesus famously said, what degrades a person comes from desires embedded within their heart. The source of sin is not some external devil tempting, though I鈥檝e heard that excuse, but our own, sometimes hidden, appetites and ambitions. One of the magnificent stained glass windows in the chapel of King鈥檚 College, Cambridge, depicts Satan dressed as a contemporary academic. Human evil is equally prone to disguise: racism cloaked with pride in one鈥檚 nation, homophobia hidden beneath traditional family values, misogyny pretending to be mere male banter.

The best, or perhaps worst, disguises are those we use to hide from ourselves. Which is why religions encourage self-examination. My faith teaches me the road to healing goes by way of honesty. To embark on that journey I need two things. First, Christ鈥檚 promise of forgiveness; second, reassurance that I don鈥檛 have to travel alone. Soon, I鈥檒l be going on retreat, guided by a Spiritual Director. They鈥檒l help me peel back the layers I use to hide from both God and myself.

The practice of taking a retreat has, of late, burst the boundaries of the professionally religious. And whilst sometimes it can prove little more than a pseudonym for self pampering, for many it affords precious space for examination of ones motives and morals. It鈥檚 particularly valuable at a time of new responsibilities, whether you鈥檙e the most recently reshuffled minister or have just bought Twitter.

Self-examination is probably not your priority for tonight, but perhaps it fits into that season of Remembrance and reflection which spans the first half of November. A chance to recognise the wrong that lies, not in some evil entity, but within ourselves. Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

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