What do we honor?

Hallow is not a word we use often, even in church, though most of us say it daily. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Outside of the Lord’s Prayer, we’re not likely to use it.

The word hallow means to honor as holy. So, we honor God’s name as holy. What else then do we hallow? For one, we hallow the saints, those people the church lifts up to honor and remember.

This time of year, as we prepare to celebrate Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls, it is easy to see how we honor God, the official saints, and those whom we love. But what/who else do we honor?

There are many people, institutions, and places we hallow: treating, not only with honor, but as holy. We might not use the word, but I have little doubt that we do it. The question is what should be hallowed?