Sadly, what was once claimed and transformed into a celebration of holy men and women has now regressed into a pagan festival, one that holds nothing sacred. How is scattering plastic skeletons across the lawn teaching others the proper treatment of the human body after death? Turning our yards into faux graveyards is equally irreverent. And why do we laugh at kids sporting evil masks or covered in fake bloodstains? This is desensitization at its finest and encourages a mockery of death.

To quote Father John Riccardo, “Evil, quite simply, is real. It cannot be ignored. It must be addressed.” Yet so many of us today do not know this, have forgotten this, or choose to ignore this. What we choose to celebrate, and how we celebrate it, has physical and spiritual consequences. You may roll your eyes and ask, “Well, where on earth do you draw the line, then? Can I not attend Halloween parties? What about my cute dancing ghosts on the front porch? Surly they aren’t so bad.” In a world where we are so often okay with gray areas and wishy-washy attitudes concerning good and evil, we need to draw distinctions…

While wearing costumes to a party can certainly be harmless — I’ve worn my fair share of flapper and Minnie Mouse getups over the years — there is a disturbing trend of postgraduate, unmarried Millennials obsessed with costumes and role-playing that reaches its climax on Halloween. It is now another occasion for showing as much skin as possible and exuding crudeness because you are “in character.” Dressing up as a pack of crayons is one thing. Imitating a porn star is quite another.