Light in the Darkness
Halloween wouldn’t be the same without glowing Jack-O-Lanterns on our porches -- some with crooked smiles and others with sinister sneers. And behind our pumpkin-carving tradition lies a strange, dark story -- one that began, of all things, with a deal with the devil.
The 18th-century Irish tale centers on a drunkard known as Stingy Jack (also called Jack the Smith, Drunk Jack, Flaky Jack, Jack-o’-lantern, or even Pumpkin Jack). Stingy Jack was famous for his deceit and manipulation, a silver-tongued trickster who could talk himself out of any trouble ... until one night when Satan himself decided to see whether the rumors were true.
As Jack stumbled down a cobblestone path on his way home one night, he stumbled across a body sprawled in his way and was startled to discover that it was the devil. Believing his end had come, Jack made one final request: “Before we go,” he pleaded, “let me have one last drink.” The devil agreed, and the two went to a nearby pub. When it came time to pay for their drinks, Jack convinced the devil to turn himself into a silver coin to pay the bill. The moment he did, Jack slipped the coin into his pocket beside a small crucifix, trapping the devil in his new form.
Jack refused to let him go until Satan promised not to claim his soul for ten years. Ten years later when the devil returned to collect, Jack asked for another favor: an apple to satisfy his hunger. As Satan climbed a tree to fetch it, Jack quickly carved crucifixes into the trunk, trapping the devil once again. In exchange for his release, the devil vowed never to take Jack’s soul to hell.
Eventually, Jack’s drinking caught up with him and he died. When he arrived at heaven’s gates, Saint Peter turned him away; his life of deceit and drunkenness left him unfit for paradise. So Jack turned to hell, begging for entry. But Satan, bound by his word, refused him there as well. Instead the devil tossed Jack a single burning ember from the fires below -- just enough to light his way as he wandered between heaven and hell for all eternity.
Jack hollowed out a turnip, placed the ember inside, and began his endless journey through the darkness. From that point on, the Irish called him Jack of the Lantern — or Jack-O-Lantern for short. To keep his restless spirit away, families carved their own lanterns from turnips or potatoes during the long nights of late October. When Irish immigrants came to America, they found pumpkins larger, brighter, and easier to carve, sand the tradition took root here in the States.
Do you hear how what began as a tale of trickery became a tradition of light? Today our glowing pumpkins are not intended to warn away evil spirits; instead they invite neighbors to our doorsteps, shining a little warmth and cheer into the dark.
And perhaps that’s what the story still whispers to us: Even the smallest flame can cut through the shadows. As the Gospel of John reminds us, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
So as you encounter pumpkins this year, remember that they are actually part of an ancient story: one where light wins, and one where no matter how long the night, the flame flickers on.
Happy Halloween, Friends. And may your pumpkins glow brightly with a little bit of that holy light.