諸聖日前夕（All Hallows’ Eve）

What is a hallow? Hallow simply means holy, as the Lord’s Prayer suggests (“hallowed be thy name”), so a “hallow” is a holy person—a saint. All Hallows’ Eve, then, is the eve of All Saints’ Day—the day the church remembers all the women and men who have modeled holiness for us throughout the history of the church. All Saints’ Day is followed by All Souls’ Day on November 2, the day the church recognizes all the faithful departed—that is, every person who has ever lived and died in Christ, whether the church officially recognizes them as a saint or not. 

For over a century, the Church has observed All Hallow’s Eve as an evening vigil to watch and wait for these two holy days that honor the friends, family, and heroic saints who are now part of the “cloud of witnesses” spoken of in Hebrews 12:1, cheering us on from heaven as we run the race set before us. All Hallows’ Eve is similar to Christmas Eve in that we are eagerly and festively anticipating the holy day that follows.