The Holy Innocents, Martyrs (Feast, 28th Dec.)
1 John 1: 5-2:2 Mathew 2:13-18
Theme: The blood of innocents
Today the church celebrates the death of the Holy Innocents, the innocent children that were killed by king Herod, in his quest to eliminate Baby Jesus. What he did not know was that God had already sent an Angel to tell Joseph to take Jesus and move to Egypt because of the plan to eliminate Jesus by Herod. Unfortunately, Herod ended up killing innocent children under the age of two, not knowing that Jesus has already moved out of that place. This shows us the extent people can go to because of their greed, power, and insecurity. He felt if Jesus is allowed to live, he is going to make him unpopular with the people and he will lose his position. So, he was willing to destroy lives because of his selfish ambition to remain in charge and in power. The action of Herod is seen in different ways in our society today, a lot of innocent blood has been destroyed because of the power of supremacy and individual selfish reasons. Today’s celebration presents us an opportunity to reflect about the times we have sacrificed the good of others for our selfish gains, just like we see in the action of king Herod in the gospel reading of today.
The take-off point of our reflection today is, have you ever destroyed another person’s life, or contributed in one way or the other to destroy another person? Whether blood was shed or not? In some instances, blood may not be shed, but you destroy the individual by your action for life? We have the opportunity today to make amends and return to God with a promise of never repeating it again. This is very important, because you do not know the plan of God concerning the person you are planning to destroy. Whether you succeed or not, that particular action may be the end of your joy and happiness. Even when you have the power, wealth, and the popularity that you seek. Overtime, you will realize that you were better off before than now when you have soiled your hands and have all the material things that you desire. I want you to always remember that joy and peace of mind are priceless, trust God, continue to work hard and be patient; God will grant your heart desires and it will be worth waiting for it. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.