Light shines brightest in darkness: reflecting on Hallowtide

Light and darkness have been the topics of many of my recent discussions. My students are studying the Geologic Time Scale, so we began the unit with an examination of the first chapter of Genesis and a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) presentation on God’s gifts. 

The students were quick to realize that God who, in the dark abyss, spoke light into existence – “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Gen. 1:3) – is the all-powerful, most generous artist and Father of all.

As stated in the Gospel of Matthew, “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matt. 5: 16). 

Made in God’s image (Gen. 1: 27), our own gifts and our own light are meant to be opened and shared as reflections of the One who created us. In being the people God made us to be, we are glorifying God. This is not always easy in a world full of sin, evil and resistance to the Truth, yet when we think of stars in a sky without light pollution, we realize that light shines brightest in the darkness. Jesus, the Light of the world, came to a spiritually-darkened world to remind us of this reality.

With the days shortening and Halloween right around the corner, candles and darkness, tricks and treats are on the minds of many, especially in the secular world. Author Emily Stimpson Chapman has written a well-researched essay entitled, Thinking like a Catholic About Halloween. In her writing, she specifically reflects on the feast of Hallowtide. I appreciate her insights and I wish to share some of her explanations. 

In answer to the question of whether or not Catholics can celebrate Halloween, Chapman states, “Of course we can celebrate it. We invented it.” 

She explains that together, All Hallows Eve, now shortened to Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day are known as Hallowtide. On these three days, the Church calls Christians to contemplate the four last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell. 

We do this by rejoicing in the lives of the saints, especially the hidden ones, who have no feast on the liturgical calendar, and by remembering all our beloved dead, asking God to welcome them into the company of saints.

Throughout the world, there are varying traditions to acknowledge Hallowtide. Chapman writes that after the bubonic plague in France, survivors held All Souls Day parades – or so-called dances of the dead – to acknowledge their mortality and desire for holiness. 

In England, people would walk around neighbourhoods on the day before All Saints Day, All Hallows Eve, asking for cakes, known as soul cakes, in exchange for prayers for deceased loved ones. Chapman also explains that after England became a Protestant country, people celebrating Guy Fawkes Night on Nov. 5 would visit the houses of Catholics and demand food and drink. If they didn’t comply, their homes would be vandalized.

“The choice was simple: trick or treat,” writes Chapman.

In her writing, she provides many more details regarding the secularization and the occultist twists some have placed on an originally holy, religious celebration. She encourages us to understand the roots of these three days and to be aware of them in our Halloween celebrations. She likewise cautions that Catholics should put more effort into celebrating All Saints Day and All Souls Day, for Halloween is just a vigil and “a precursor, not the main event.”

Chapman also reminds us to acknowledge that, through Hallowtide, we are reminded “that death does not break the bonds of communion between us and our loved ones; and that all who live in Christ will be reunited one day. Hallowtide is a great festival of hope. It is a great celebration of community. And it is, above all, a great gift. It is a gift to know that on the other side of the darkness, is light.”

If we do celebrate Halloween, let it be as the vigil of this hope and a celebration of light, not just an excuse to eat candy and a shallow opportunity to engage in evil trickery or opportunities to scare others. Let our emphasis be on the communion of saints,  prayers for our beloved dead, and those with no one to pray for them.

As my students recognize, natural light comes from the Creator and spiritual light is illumined by his Son, the Light of the world. Let us seek God’s light and reflect it in our actions, even in challenging times, remembering that light always shines brightest in the darkness.

For more writing from Emily Stimpson Chapman, subscribe to Through a Glass Darkly on Substack (emilystimpsonchapman.substack.com) or follow her on Instagram at emilystimpsonchapman. 

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