Ask Gina: Why are we Having a Holy Hour on Halloween?
Q: Why are you having a Holy Hour on Halloween, and is the time allotted from 11 pm-12 am a special time?
A: What a great question. One that needs a bit of background to answer adequately. For many years, my husband and I celebrated Halloween as a secular holiday with all its eerie and enchanting allure. The truth is, we don’t know what we don’t know until we do! It was not until a profound reversion to the faith in 2008 that the truth of what we were aligning ourselves with proved to be far from what the richness and wisdom of our Catholic faith intended. As the good Lord tells us in Luke 12:48, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” As baptized Christians, have we not been given, entrusted with so VERY much?
We were convicted and needed to make a change. I began my research and was in awe of what I learned. The origins of Halloween are, in fact, very Christian. It has progressed over centuries through Popes, Councils, and the faithful to become known as Allhallowtide or the Triduum of Death - All Hallows' Eve (Oct. 31), All Saints' Day (Nov. 1), and All Souls' Day (Nov. 2). While this may sound a bit morbid, it is anything but! It is a profound Catholic trilogy of prayer, remembrance, and hope in the Resurrection. It is meant to inspire a holy hope, encouraging the Church Militant - those of us still in this world and engaged in the battle against sin, temptation, and the forces of evil - that death has been conquered by Jesus Christ and does not have the final word! It reminds us of those who have gone before us, known as the Church Triumphant - real people who have lived and suffered and now live with Jesus, interceding on our behalf. And of the Church Suffering, the holy souls in Purgatory, still a part of our family, the Body of Christ, in need of our prayers. Halloween, rightly understood, belongs to the Church, NOT to the culture of death!
That said, sadly Halloween has become deeply connected with witchcraft, the occult, and practices of divination, drifting far from its sacred roots. While much of both the day and night of the 31st are used for occult practices, midnight is known as the “magic hour”, the threshold into their new year. This is why we have chosen to pray and intercede in the hour leading up to midnight. We must remember that the way to expose that which hides in the shadows is not by ignoring it, but by praying and interceding for those involved. Having the SMC Holy Hour on All Hallows’ Eve is one step we can take in doing this. During our Holy Hour, we pray for all those who are ensnared in the occult, that they may be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the light of truth as we, “take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; but instead expose them” (Eph 5:11), praying for all who are negatively affected by its lure and deception. We need not abandon Halloween but rather celebrate in a healthy, holy manner, rejoicing in the freedom won for us by Jesus, reclaiming AllHallowtide from those who would make it about Satan and his kingdom.
**To join us for the Holy Hour on Halloween, please use this LINK. No registration is necessary.
