Abbey-Roads2

Second only to Christmas in retail.

It’s Halloween. Having worked late tonight, I drove home in the dark, the wind blowing autumn leaves around in little tornadoes. I noticed houses all alight with orange jack-o-lanterns and tomb stones decorating their front yards, with bed-sheet ghosts suspended from trees. People go all out to be spooky. If it is done well, it’s kind of fun - but talk about kitsch!

I’m not as opposed to Halloween as other Christians seem to be. I do think it is fun, although, being without children, I’ve never really celebrated it - except when I was little. The history goes way back of course - after all, it’s a celebration of All-Hallows Eve - the vigil of All Saints day. What’s scary about that?

Of course it’s a big occult holiday for witches as well, so I understand the opposition of Christians. Parental guidance and faith is needed for children. Adults and teens seem to be the ones who go over to the dark side. So watch your pets and your kids. (And remember, you can’t burn witches any longer.)

It is amazing however, that it has become such a big holiday across the country - truly, second only to Christmas in retail, what with cards, decorations, costmes, parties, etc. It may possibly indicate a rampant re-emergence of neo-paganism, while being a somewhat arrogant rebellion against death on some level.

Merchandising Advent wreaths at the store reminded me that the wreath was once a pagan symbol as well, albeit Christianized now. I never got into that either.

I like the lights though - when it is so dark and spooky outside…

(Note: “Nosferatu” was the scariest vampire movie in the history of cinema, and every original still that I tried to grab, from a variety of sites, would not print on this blog - just the puppet image would post…I’m so scared! Somebody quick - call Michael Brown at “Spirit Daily”!)

Bad taste - and not in your mouth.

(Pictured, Corky St. Clair from “Waiting For Guffman” in his kitschy movie memorabilia gift shop.)

Kitsch - yiddish for bad taste, cheap, tacky, gawdy, gimmicky, cheap merchandise - like you’d pick up in a dime store.
Schmaltz - yiddish for too sweet, sentimental - literally, chicken fat.
Glitz - yiddish for lots of gold and shine - tinselly.

Here are some examples. I was speaking about bad art and bad taste in religious/devotional goods the other day. The latest post I did on Marie-Julie Jehenny reminded me of the discussion. There is a passion scapular supposedly inspired by her revelations, available on some Catholic websites. It is supposed to protect a person in these evil times. I never realized it was from her and just assumed someone made it up to make money. In religious retail, someone always seems to be coming up with something new to sell. Like these Jesus with the little female gymnasts figures - kind of creepy, or him as the baseball Jesus - what else for the all-American kid? This stuff falls into the kitsch category, along with Saints chapsticks and holy water key chains, or hologram images of Christ and Mary, that change when you tilt them.

Kids are expected to like this stuff - or at least people who buy the stuff think their kids will like it. (People can educate and elevate their taste if they want to. I’ve always said some things should never even be made, much less sold, they are so bad.)

Schmaltz is something else. It’s a harder one to convince people of because they become emotionally attached to it. (It is a feel good/feel sad type of thing.) Good art should touch the emotions, but bad art can do so as well. (I know, I know - often it is subjective - but not too often.)

Take for example this image of JPII. I think it’s schmaltzy - not kitschy - schmaltzy. It is not badly painted, it’s rather well painted - but it misses - it’s kind of schmaltzy. What would be worse is if it ever ends up on a mug - then it would be schmaltzy and kitschy. (It’s like the John XXIII and JFK painting of the two of them walking in Heaven that circulated after their deaths. Schmaltzy.)

Glitz is fine in Hollywood, in Church it’s too much. Most priests do not want their vestments glitzy. In addition, not every gilded baroque Church or statue is glitzy. Neither are well designed sacred vessels and the like. However, Mother Angelica’s shrine is kind of glitzy - but it’s fairly well done glitz. The Polish monstrance they use in the shape of a heart - that’s bad glitz. In fact, the term glitz was once associated with what has been referred to as ‘Polish taste’ or ‘Jewish taste’ - very politically incorrect terms nowadays…so always say glitz instead - unless you are ever on Letterman or Oprah.

This post was inspired by Ray from Stella Borealis who sent me the link to a blog called “Kinda Kitchy” that specializes in exposing Christian kitsch. (The guy is obviously protestant, with excellent observations on religious art.)

Is something happening?

Lately in the Store I manage, we have had many orders for books about “the three days darkness.” An apocalyptic warning predicted by not a few mystics and saints - recent ones at that, such as St. Faustina and Bl. Mary of Jesus Crucified. A very nice gentleman came in looking for a book by the seer Marie-Julie Jahenny (pictured) - unfortunately, we had nothing except quotes from her in other anthologies on the end times. I told him I would look it up for him and get back to him - wondering why this surge of interest. The last time we had as many requests was after 9/11.

I did find a small book online that I’ll order for him. I read parts of her revelations that supposedly refer to our times and the ultimate dissolution of the Mass as well as the true Catholic Church going underground, etc. It’s all rather conspiratorial.

There seem to be other people and groups, priests among them, that promote these private revelations; devotees of Our Lady of Good Success in Quito are among these. The predictions and writings appear to conveniently target the Novus Ordo Mass and Vatican II. It seems to me what these revelations generate is greater dissension, a lack of trust in legitimate authority, as well as devotion. Rather than bring peace to a soul these novelties become an occasion for intrigue, agitation, along with a morbid curiosity that hardly seems to be from a good spirit. I’m not suggesting that anyone not read these things, I just wouldn’t make it the focus of one’s devout life. What follows is the three days darkness thing:

[snip] Marie-Julie announced 3 days darkness during which the infernal powers will be loosed and will execute all the enemies of God. “The crisis will explode suddenly; the punishments will be shared by all and will succeed one another without interruption… “( January 4, 1884).

“Three quarters of the population of the world will perish. Half the population of France will be destroyed.” (Marquis de la Franquerie, Marie-Julie Jahenny) [snip]

I have no idea what it all means - the Church has not even acknowledged these prophecies, much less decreed anything about it. Friends of mine have joked about it with me, (Hi David S.) - but “It could happen” as Judy Tanutta would say. Nevertheless, it is difficult for me to sustain any interest in such things.