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Gospel of Matthew 2:13-18
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.......
Herod's Massacre This Feast Day is a tough one for me. My heart swells with compassion for these sweet little children so brutally massacred. Even though I have never had children of my own, I can imagine the deep sadness and anger parents felt. Why on earth massacre every boy under the age of 2 in Bethlehem? Why did Herod take his fury against the magi on innocent babes? Herod was foolish and ignorant to think even one of these massacred boys could be the Christ Child! Just like Baby Moses was saved from Pharoah's massacre, the Christ child was saved, too. Once again an angel visited Joseph in a dream warning him to flee the land with his family.
Saint Quodvultdeus' sermon featured in today's Liturgy of the Hours Office of Readings eloquently explains Herod's murderous actions as if speaking to him personally:
You are not restrained by the love of weeping mothers or fathers mourning the deaths of their sons, nor by the cries and sobs of the children. You destroy those who are tiny in body because fear is destroying your heart. You imagine that if you accomplish your desire you can prolong your own life, though you are seeking to kill Life himself.
Saint Quodvultdeus writes on about the meaning of the children's martyrdom:
The children die for Christ, though they do not know it. The parents mourn for death of martyrs. The child makes of those yet unable to speak fit witnesses to himself. See the kind of kingdom that is his, coming as he did in order to be this kind of king. See how the deliverer is already working deliverance, the savior already working salvation.
Today's Massacres I reflect on the massacre of innocent children in our modern day. Massacres in ways that are much more destructive. We just passed the one year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting which left so many children dead. We read about children being kidnapped and trafficked into prostitution. We hear on the news about children committing suicide due to a bully's hateful actions. We listen with pity as we hear stories of children sexually abused or starved to death. The most sinister of all is the unborn child aborted as if "it" was a piece of trash. The way society treats its children (as well as elderly adults) demonstrates how much it values life in general. It's easy in our "throw away culture" to abuse and neglect children, treating them as scapegoats for our own personal hurts and anger. I can imagine the excuses for harming children:
"Our son will be born with Down Syndrome. We chose to abort him because we just can't afford his ongoing care......"
"Oh, I smack around Johnny boy to toughin' him up! I don't want him to grow into a wimp. He doesn't mind a few slaps....."
"She is such a beautiful girl. I have a client who wishes to bed with a virgin. She will be perfect for him. Let's find a way to bring her into the night business......"
"I'm so glad that loser girl killed herself. Good riddance. She was so ugly and smelled bad. Life will be so much better without her!"
"Our daughter is such a nightmare. She goes potty on herself all the time so we just lock her up in the closet and withhold food. I never wanted that miserable child"
(It just breaks my heart to think there may be some truth behind these awful words.......)
Thank God for our white-robed army of innocent children! I think of these precious children martyrs as helping the abused and neglected children become free from their bondage. I see the white-robed army fighting for children's dignity. Children deserve love, respect, and compassion regardless of their circumstances in life.
Let us hug a child today and tell them how much we love them! Let us always remember to treat children with tenderness and care. Let's see Christ shining through them.
-J.
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