Readings for today
It is strange that in the middle of this joyous season when the angels burst forth into song, "glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth," when the shepherds scrabble to the manger to behold the sign, "a child wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger," and the magi come from afar bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh that we would turn our gaze from the scene in Bethlehem and the star shining bright and the child playing and giggling on the hay to the slaughter, innocent blood shed upon the soil.
In the middle of this feast of feast we remember that Heaven isn't always welcomed, goodness isn't always embraced, and light is often shunned for darkness.
Herod, to save his own skin, his own reputation, to guard his greed for power, picks a fight with heaven and slaughters anyone in his path.
Wherever goodness is evil lingers in the shadows trying to disavow that goodness, the good news, the joyous tidings. Evil always seeks to bring bitterness, weeping, distraught.
These children are killed because of their similiarity with the Christ child. It was a case of mistaken identity or rather Herod wanted to make no mistake in eliminating this child who was coming to usurp is power.
Herod is the ultimate Grinch who sought to steal the spotlight, who sought to steal christmas.
Herod takes life while Christ comes to bring life.
What a contrast and what a proven lithmus test for truth and goodness. Herod takes life and destroys it, christ gives life and saves it.
Herod seeks to destroy the children while Jesus says let the little children come to me and unless you become like a child you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
When we look into the world today we also face a slaughter of innocents. Millions of children are being taken and destroyed. Blood is being spilled daily, hour by hour.
The new Herod in our society are those who push for abortion, the destruction of innocent lives. Those who lead mothers and fathers astray masquerading this evil as free choice and women's choice. These are the ones who steal christmas daily. These are the new grinches in our society.
They do the same thing that Herod does but on a larger scale.
The Herod in our society are all those who allow famine, and disease and malnutrition to take the lives of so many children. They allow greed and selfish gain to blind them to the reality of life and its fragile nature.
Our Chidlren are even today in danger. What will we do to curb the tide of this holocaust, this slaughter.
As St. John tells us in the first reading, "we must walk in the light." In God there is no darkness at all.
We pray, "Lord, Jesus Christ your light shine within us, let not our odubts and our darkness speak to us; Lord, Jesus Christ, your light hsines within us let my heart always welcome your love."
Once we pray then we must act. Do not delay.
On January 24, there will be a march for life in Washington DC. Perhaps we can go and march for life. Or we can offer a rosary for an end to abortion and the slaughter of so many chidlren. We can pray for the conversion of doctors and nurses who particpate.
Visit a abortion mill, a place where babies are destroyed and pray. Our witness is needed now more than ever.
It is time to make some noise. We must be the voice for the voiceless. We remember the Holy Innocents so that their silence can be heard and our fight might be invigorated and history does not repeat itself.
We must not let them steal christmasfrom so many.
A few words from St. Quodvultdeus
"Herod 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 chidlren. You destroy those who are tiny in body because fear is destroying your heart. Yu imagine that if you accompolish your desire you can prolong your own life, though you are seeking to kill Life Himself..."
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