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28th December 

Feast of Holy Innocents

READ: (1Jn 1:5-2:2; Matt 2:13-18)

REFLECT: Reminders - Not to be power-crazy, but to love and care for children and be the children of light.

Dear friends, today we commemorate the feast of the Holy Innocents. The feast of the Holy Innocents is a remembrance of the massacre of young children in Bethlehem by King Herod the Great in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus (Matt 2:16–18).

It was this Herod whose son beheaded John the Baptist. It was this Herod who caused fear to Joseph and Mary to escape to Egypt. It was this Herod who was so furious about the three wise men when they changed their mind from not meeting Herod by the vision of an angel warning them to return home by another route. Indeed it was this Herod whose cruel act we commemorate today as the Feast of the Holy Innocents. He ordered the slaughter of all the male babies in and around Bethlehem in order to get rid of just one i.e., baby Jesus, the Messiah of the world. On this feast day, we are called to pray for innocent babies for their safety and security, to love and care, nurture and nourish them with values that can build them up as good human persons. So based on the feast day and the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you few points of reflection as this feast day reminds us.

1. A reminder – not to be power-crazy:

Power-crazy people are excessively pursue for power or obsessed with power. They do anything to obtain power and honor. Just as people who are hungry for food eat whatever is given to them so also the power hungry person does anything to obtain power. One such person is what we hear about in the Gospel reading i.e., King Herod, the power-crazy or the power hungry person.

Can anyone be threatened by a child? Is it not something weird or ridiculous for all of us? That’s what we see in King Herods character feature. He was threatened by Child Jesus for power.  We hear in the Old Testament as well that Pharaoh ordered every male boy be thrown into the Nile in a desire to suppress the Israelite population and a possible threat to his rule (Exodus 1:22). Something similar we find in the New Testament a feel of threat and fear for power and position by King Herod.

King Herod was threatened by Child Jesus, because this child was a holy Child, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world and the Messiah. The basic feel of threat and fear of King Herod was about his reign. He felt that he would no more rule over or have power over the other if anyone arose in power. He felt that there is another person competitively fit to overthrow his throne. He felt that there is a real running race for power and position. Therefore, he chooses the last resort to kill all the male babies in and around Bethlehem. We see King Herod as a power crazy person. Power becomes so powerful in him, that he even moves to the extent of killing innocent children. Today something similar happens in our society too, where for power and position, money and benefit are used to exploit the innocent children of people. There are enormous children kidnapped, killed, abused, and misused in the bargain of power. The passion for power and position makes us inhuman and lack compassion for the little children.

That’s why Pope Francis very aptly says that Children are an indispensable resource for the future, and never a threat toward the environment. Instead, consumerism and individualism must be addressed. Yes, today individualism and consumerism need to be addressed. King Herod’s growing individualism craving for power caused death of innocent children. Today we are also part of this growing tendency of individualism and consumerism. Today consumeristic tendency to use children as a commodity for buying and selling or human-trafficking; our individualistic tendency to be selfish in making use of the innocent children for want of power, honor and wealth are widespread. Our tendency to individualism and consumerism make the innocent children suffer, lose identity in the society and become victims of injustice and inhuman act. So let us empower the children with the power invested in us and not take their innocence for granted.

2. A reminder- to love and care innocent Children:

Love and care is the basic positive vibes to all of us on earth. Love and care make persons feel the bond of relationship healthy, strong and sound. Love and care are the gifts that we can give to another to feel the warmth and joy we have for one another. Today all of us need love and care, but more than us the children require the love and care from parents and elders in the family or the neighbors in the next door.

Although, there are many who love and care for the children, there are also people who do not love and care for the innocent children in the family or society. It is because they are not passionate about loving children or having children or because they have replaced the love of children with pet animal and birds etc. Very importantly, Pope Francis says that some couples prefer pets to children. Many do not have children because they do not want to, or they have just one, but they have two dogs, two cats. Yes, dogs and cats take the place of children.” Although there were reactions to what Pope Francis commented yet there is a point of reference to pause for a while and reconsider the act of couples in our society.

But something strange we see in the Gospel reading from the act of King Herod, who mercilessly orders to kill the innocent children, who were never at fault. They all had to die without even seeing the beautiful world fully that they were born for and could not enjoy the future that they would have had with their own family. We could see here King Herod as a hard-hearted person, a heart and mind devoid of love for children. We see in the gospels Jesus gives such an importance to children comparing them to the Kingdom of God. The bible verses are the following; In Matt 18:5 Jesus says, “Unless you change and become little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God.” Matt 18:10 Jesus says, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” Matt 19:14 Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” In Lk 9: 48 Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me.”

All these biblical references show how important are children in the sight of God and for Jesus. If Jesus could value little children to the Kingdom of God and expressed unconditional love for children, we also need to love and care for the little children, who are innocent, humble, pure and real as they appear to us. Today, many are the people who ignore children in the family and society; many don’t come forward to help and reach out children; many children are in labor force as workers and slaves without education, food and basic amenities; many children are aborted, misused, dumped in the garbage for dislike; all these because there is no love and care for children. Today, let us pray for those who misuse and abuse and for ourselves that we give the children their due dignity to live, to love and have their being on earth.

3. A reminder – to be children of light:

The children of light are those who walk towards Jesus the Light of the world and live in light that brightens oneself and others. Just as light alleviates the presence of a dark spot in places, so also the children of light become a spotlight to dispel darkness from the face of the earth. The first reading from the first letter of St. John reminds us that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we walk in the light, as he is the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from all sin. Yes, on the feast day of the Holy Innocents, we are called to be children of light, who move towards God, the Light. But most of us choose darkness than light, because in dark no one could notice what we do, where we are and how we are. So we take delight in the dark sides of life.

Pope Francis while speaking at the General State of the Birth Rate event in Rome May 14 shared that there is a phrase from the Gospel that can help anyone, even those who do not believe, to guide their choices. Jesus says: ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart also be.” He ask us, Where is our treasure, the treasure of our society? In children or finances? What draws us, the family or revenue? Yes, the children of darkness take deep delight in finances and revenue than children and family. We replace core values with things that do not have a lasting value or genuine value. For the children of darkness riches of wealth and accumulation of money become the prime intentions of life. We are possessed or obsessed with money, materialism and machines invented by human mind. So we have forgotten the real gift and have failed to give due value to the real gift of life.

That’s why Pope Francis reminds us of the greatest gift in life saying, “A child is the greatest gift for everyone, and comes before all else.” “This word is linked to children, to every child: first. As a child is expected and loved before it is born, so we must put children first if we want to see the light again after the long winter.”

Yes, today some of us consider children as burdensome, we fail to spend time with children, we fail to encourage when they are down with defeat, and we fail to give them values that promote life, self-respect, and dignity of another. As a result, we don’t help children to move towards light rather make them feel comfortable in dark shadows of human life. The feast of the Holy innocents is a reminder for all of us to give time for children to grow healthy and be happy in life. Let us give to children in our families, societies and the world the ways and means, the motivation and inspiration that lead towards light of life and make them children of light.

RESPOND:

Are we crazy for power and honor even to the extent of bringing down the reputation of the other and even death at times?

Do we love and care for children in families, societies and world?

Do we equip and assist children to walk towards light that makes the future bright and brilliant by the grace of God.

Let us love and care for children in our world and make a better place for them to live in peace, joy and happiness. Amen.

“The innocent is innocent only because of holy love. If one has love it is necessary to urge him or her by the rigour of the law.” (St. Francis De Sales, TLG, Book VIII, Chapter – 1, taken from Spoonful of Honey by Fr. Suresh Babu MSFS, p. 46)

Wish you a happy feast. God bless us all…

Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS