Jack-o-lanterns Teach Kids About Christ

Of course, this time of year we see pumpkins all over the place. Many of them are carved into the shape of jack-o-lanterns. My kids have enjoyed carving some of their own the past two years. However, I don't like the overly secularized versions that look really scary. We tame ours down a bit and make the event a teachable moment for the kids.

About three years ago, I received an e-mail telling of the wonderful Christian meaning behind a jack-o-lantern. If I still had it, I'd post it here, but alas it was deleted long ago. However, the gist of the e-mail was that we are like the pumpkin who is ready to be picked and has fully ripened and matured (this is when we arrive at the age of reason). We, like the pumpkin are full of pulp and seeds, icky and squishy (this is due to our personal sins). The pulp and seeds need to be removed before the carving can begin (this is the sacrament of confession which allows God to remove and forgive our sins). Then we can carve the pumpkin into a smiley face (this is God's grace coming to us and God fashioning us into a new creation). We are happy to receive God's grace and joy fills our hearts, so we too smile. The candle is placed inside the jack-o-lantern (when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, the Light of the World comes to dwell within us). When you look at a jack-o-lantern on a dark night, you can see the light radiating from within it and the whole face glows. When we are in the state of grace, we shine for all to see, especially in our secular world where there is so much darkness. The kids thought this explanation was really cool to hear as we were scooping out the pulp and carving our jack-o-lanterns.

Here are a few pictures of our jack-o-lantern fun.

We also cut up some pumpkins and made pumpkin bread. I guess those pumpkins could represent the martyrs who died for their faith. LOL!

Another really cool way to make those pumpkins evangelists for Christ, is to make a saint-o-lanterns as described by another blogger. Check out the Catholic Cuisine blog for some really AWESOME examples for the older kids to carve. These would be especially great to celebrate All Soul's Day or All Saints Day. Maybe we'll try our hands at these when the kids get a little older. Here is the link: http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2009/10/saint-o-lanterns.html