On Oct 31, 1517 Martin Luther -- priest and Augustinian monk, lawyer by education, and professor of theology in the University of Wittenberg -- nailed the Ninety-Five Theses on the Power of Indulgences on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. It was an invitation to discuss by debate the commoditization and commercialization of indulgences: these are church produced documents that remit -- partially or in full -- temporal punishment in purgatory for sins which have already been forgiven spiritually. His argumant was based on the idea that Sacraments of Confession, Penance and Reconciliation have become a commercial transaction instead of a repentant change of heart. This minor matter became the catalyst for the Reformation. Copies of the 95 Theses were sent by Luther to Albert,the Archbishop of Mainz, [his immediate boss], Pope Leo X [his big boss], as well as his contemporary professors in other universities.
It was not unusual for anyone to post announcements on important matters on church doors, which were a kind of bulletin board at a time when there were no newspapers. Neither was the date chosen by Luther. Crowds of all sorts of people were due to flock to the church. Since 835 A.D. the following days -- November 1 and 2 -- were designated as All Saints Day and All Souls Day respectively in the liturgical calendar of the Holy Roman Empire. This was officially decreed by [King] Louis the Pious, issued at the request of Pope Gregory IV. During the time of imperial persecution the early Christians would celebrate the anniversary of a martyr's death for Christ (known as the saint's "birth day") by serving an all-night vigil, and then celebrating the eucharist over their tomb or the shrine at their place of martyrdom.. By 270 AD the practice had developed to to a joint commemoration of all martyrs since the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to each. Frequently, a number of Christians would suffer martyrdom on the same day.
In the Roman Church, the date was originally assigned to May 13 [since 610 AD]. By a strange coincidence, this day was also the culmination of the 3-day Feast of the Lemures [May 9,11,13]. This had been practiced by pagan Rome from antiquity. During this Feast, the malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were propitiated, exiled or exorcised. It was the date when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon -- the temple to all the pagan gods -- at Rome to the Blessed Mary and all the martyrs; the martyrs became known as All Saints or All Hallows. Then in 835 AD, Gregory IV moved the date of this holy day from May 13 to November 1, perhaps to accommodate the Celtic converts who obstinately kept celebrating their pagan festival of Samhain – their new year and harvest festival. They believed that on October 31, the the boundary between the living and the dead dissolved: the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. Costumes and masks were worn to mimic the evil spirits or placate them. Gregory IV’s decision is consistent with the policy of leaving pagan festivals and buildings intact (such as the Pantheon), while overlaying a gloss of Christiian meaning. However, no reliable documentation exists indicating that this was Gregory IV’s motivation.
All Souls Day is distinguished from All Saints Day in that it commemorates the souls of the dead Christians who have not yet been purified and finally arrived in heaven. Thus, on display at the Wittenberg Castle Church on October 31, 1517 were numerous relics collected by Frederic III [aka ‘the Wise’], Elector of Saxony, who later became Luther’s political protector. It was believed at that time that viewing a relic and donating something for the preservation of the Castle Church would earn the viewer/donor a commutation of 100 days in purgatory per relic for himself or for a dead relative or friend.
Luther’s objections and resevations about these beliefs were strongly resisted by some and strongly supported by others. In 1520 he was officially denounced and excommunicated by Pope Leo X in the bull ‘Exsurge Domine’. He escaped the fate of being burned a heretic -- as Jan Hus was in 1415 – only through the foresight and cleverness of Frederick the Wise.
The ensuing conflict eventually solidified Luther’s theological ideas into the five principles of the Reformation. These are:
v Sola Scriptura, ("by Scripture alone"). This principle recognizes the Bible, the word of God, as the only infallible and authoritative basis of faith, notwithstanding human and church traditions. As Martin Luther said, "The true rule is this: God's Word shall establish articles of faith, and no one else, not even an angel can do so."
v Sola fide ("by faith alone") teaches that justification- being declared right by God - is received by faith only, without any mixture of or need for good works; though saving faith is always evidenced by good works [James 1:18]. "Faith yields justification and good works" rather than "Faith and good works yield justification."
v Sola gratia ("by grace alone") teaches that salvation comes by God's grace or "unmerited favor" only — not as something merited or earned by the sinner,
v Solus Christus ("Christ alone") affirms that Christ is the only mediator between God and man, and that there is salvation through no other, Mary of Nazareth, the Apostles, the saints and the angels notwithstanding .
v Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone") teaches that all glory is to be due to God alone. No human being should be exalted for his or her good works, but rather praise and glory should be given to God who is the Author and Perfecter of people and their good works.
In response, the Council of Trent was convened in Trento -- three times between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 -- by Popes Paul III, Julius III and Pius IV. The ecumenical Council, after 18 years of deliberations, – and not allowing the few invited reformers to speak their views nor even vote -- entirely rejected these 5 principles proposed by the Reformers and pronounced an eternal anathema [curse] on all who believed and taught as Luther did. Likewise, the Lutherans, as this first group of Reformers were known, also pronounced an eternal curse on the Roman Church.
On October 31, 1999 the Roman Church, represented by Pope John Paul II, and the Lutheran World Federation signed The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. In effect, the Roman Church and the LWF, are apparently in agreement on Sola Fide without saying anything about the four other Solas. The excommunications and eternal curses of both groups relating to the doctrine of justification were mutually lifted. Confessional Lutherans, such as the International Lutheran Council and the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference, reject the Declaration. So do all present day churches that developed from the Reformation [except for the World Methodist Council].
Most of these churches have retained the celebration of All Saints Day, though many have moved it from November 1 to the first Sunday of November: but for most of the secular world, Oct 31 and the following days, it is the Haloween season [a contraction of All Hallows Evening]. In the Philippines it is known as ‘Undas’, perhaps from the Spanish word ofrendas (offerings), which are made on this day in Portugal, Spain and Mexico. Here, the day is devoted to visiting the graves of deceased relatives, where prayers and flowers are offered, candles are lit and the graves themselves are cleaned, repaired and repainted. In rural areas, candles are lit in houses all through the night to assist the spirits of the dead find their way in case they wish to visit. Elsewhere, in the USA and Europe, in the affluent gated-communities of Greater Manila, it is a season of tremendous fun, especially for children who come Trick-or-Treating!
While no one in the secular world believes anymore in the reality of restless, wandering spirits of the dead, goblins, ghouls, witches, vampires, zombies and the like, the memory of these is celebrated in the costumes, masks and visitations of children collecting teeth-decaying obesity-causing candies and goodies from house to house: these houses vie with neighbors with artistic décor of cemeteries, skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses and anything with a scary motif. Cinemas feature horror movies that entertain viewers by making them scream in terror. Halloween is fast overtaking Christmas as a season of humungous retail sales. Just as in Luther’s time the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation was commoditized and commercialized, the day set aside for commemorating the Christian martyrs, Blessed Mary and all the beatified saints has become commoditized and commercialized for a great many people.
Halloween may be harmless, innocent fun. Maybe. Surely it is not in accord with St. Paul’s message: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” -- Philippians 4:7-8, NIV
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