Like all marvelous things, this also began with much discretion, to the point where it was difficult to even realize it was happening. A parishioner of the Movement told us that the year before, around the solemnity of All Saints, and therefore, around Halloween, the parish of her town in the country had celebrated a Mass to which he had invited all of the children in the costume of their favorite saint. The Mass was then followed by a party in the Oratory.
Besides the fact that we liked the idea, the insistence of the mother brought us to put on something similar this year. To the Mass of All Saints, we invited the kids in the costumes of their favorite saint. It was not a difficult thing. Among the saints there were a bunch of princesses, knights and kings, which authorized them to carry a sword; and often even the young kids sense a closeness with the saints who share their name. There were many of them.
The saints accompany us, that their presence changes life, if only we give them the opportunity
After the Mass, we went into the parish hall to celebrate in a very simple way. Drinks and hot dogs for all, a few games for the kids, a moment of witness for the adults. But I was almost blown away by a discovery. Halloween does not really do much for me; it always seemed boring. It always revolves around a set stock of images: spiders, bats, pumpkins, skeletons, witches, and all of this to the point where I cannot stand it. Here instead a world opened up that was everything but repetitive, boring, or ugly. A world of extraordinary beauty, without limits. In a word, a world of saints.
A moment like this is always a sign. I understood that the saints accompany us, that their presence changes life, if only we give them the opportunity, and changes our gaze on everything and everybody. We are here to see these signs.
