Jesus' plans for Halloween

Happy Halloween! You probably have your costume all ready for trick-or-treating by now. Maybe you're going to wear a mask or funny makeup; you might have a costume made at home or bought from a store. Either way, you can't wait to show it off!

Jesus met a lot of people who showed off in a bad way. Some people He met who had important jobs and lots of money acted like that made them better than everyone else. In this week's Gospel (Matthew 23:1-12), Jesus talks about them:

"They like to wear fancy clothes and take the best seats at parties," Jesus said. "They want everyone to call them `Master.' But you have only one master -- God. Those who praise themselves will be humbled, and those who are humble will be praised."

The people Jesus talked about in the Gospel story wanted to be the best, too. Even at parties, they wanted to impress everyone with how rich and important they were. Like a kid in a contest, they wanted to be the best -- and got mad if they weren't.

Jesus probably loves to see kids having fun at Halloween. But like He told the people in the Gospel story, He hopes you won't show off to make other kids feel bad or have a tantrum if you don't win a costume contest.

Just like the people in Jesus' time, we're all the same under our costumes and makeup. Jesus asked us to remember that and be humble -- and promised that if you are, God will be proud of you, no matter what kind of Halloween costume you have.

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me remember that Halloween is for having fun, not showing off! Amen.

(10-28-99)