The Feast of The Holy Innocents.

The Holy Innocents 

On this Fourth Day of Christmas Our Lord via His Church gives us the Feast of The Holy Innocents. 

• Let's focus on the Word of God:
  Today's Gospel: Matthew 2:13-18
  The Flight to Egypt. 13^* When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,^* and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” 14Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. 15^* He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet^d might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
  The Massacre of the Infants. 16When 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. 17Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: 18^{* e} “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled,
  since they were no more.”

REFLECTION:

The murder & slaughter of Holy Innocents in our time

It is a day that we reflect on this horrific incident in time. However, our culture of death in this age has many parallels.

Unfortunately the one who comes to mind quickest is the violent murder of the holy innocents in our country. I am speaking about the children were massacred in Connecticut recently. One can only pray for the healing of the pain those parents experienced. As a society we journeyed into the depths of pain as we were facing "the pure evil" of this event. It is no less the same pain as was experienced over 2000 years.

Unfortunately many other examples abound today as the millions of babies are killed in abortion clinics and hospitals. These children also never have a chance to develop in life.  Although the ones 2000 years ago did experience for up to a few years and the ones in Connecticut lived for up to six years, the aborted innocents killed in their mother's womb had no less the amount of life and sanctity.

Hundreds of years ago Thomas Jefferson said, "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." With God's help, we all need to stand up today and say "NO" to those murders in society.

May God's blessings be upon all of you and all of your families.
Deacon Tom