Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
Additional Information about the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
Readings for the Feast of the Holy Innocents[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 1 John 1:5—2:2
Beloved:
This is the message that we have heard from Jesus Christ
and proclaim to you:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,”
while we continue to walk in darkness,
we lie and do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light,
then we have fellowship with one another,
and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, “We are without sin,”
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.
If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.
My children, I am writing this to you
so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 1:5—2:2
We are given in this selection a foundational scripture passage upon which the Sacrament of Reconciliation rests. The logic St. John uses flows nicely; Jesus, the Christ is light. When we sin we walk in darkness. When we admit our sin, the Lord who is “expiation for our sins”, brings us back into the light. If we try to deceive ourselves saying we are not sinful, we fall and, in a sense, make Jesus’ sacrifice meaningless.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8
R. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Had not the LORD been with us—
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8
The psalm is one of thanksgiving to the Lord for his gift of salvation – salvation from physical enemies; salvation from nature’s fury. The song thanks God who rescues us if we but reach out to him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-18
When the magi 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.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.
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.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Matthew 2:13-18
St. Matthew provides the story of the slaughter of the innocent children of Bethlehem. On this their feast day we are told how Herod, in his frustration at being deceived by the magi, sends troops to kill all the male children under the age of two. We are also reminded that this event and the warning received by Joseph to take the baby, Jesus, to Egypt, were both predicted in scripture.
In this ironic twist, the saga of Moses is replayed in an inverse way. A slaughter of innocents preceded his advent and the trek to Egypt by the Holy Family recalls the exodus event now relived by the Savior. “The fulfillment citation is taken from Hosea 11:1. Israel, God's son, was called out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus; Jesus, the Son of God, will similarly be called out of that land in a new exodus. The father-son relationship between God and the nation is set in a higher key. Here the son is not a group adopted as "son of God," but the child who, as conceived by the holy Spirit, stands in unique relation to God. He is son of David and of Abraham, of Mary and of Joseph, but, above all, of God.”[4] The passage concludes with a quote of Jeremiah 31:15 in which Rachel is weeping for children taken into exile at the time of the Assyrian invasion (722 BC). Tradition hold her lament was so profound it was heard for miles.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
In this feast day we remember the innocent lives of the first martyrs for Christ. St. Matthew describes how Herod, in great fear of loosing his kingship commits the sin of Pharaoh, murdering innocent babes, turning his back on the one who could assure him a kinship eternal and in peace.
The current world wide assault on the sanctity of life brings this story in to sharp focus. There is a great danger facing mankind and secular leadership already stands at the precipice of a very slippery slope (some say they are already hurling toward the pit). When this Gospel story of infanticide is told we immediately think of the struggle between the opponents of life and those who find life sacred. This debate is not just about abortion it truly reached into our homes and touches each one of us. If we take the position that an embryo is not a human life until the fetus draws breath and is born all manner of moral issues are brought into contention. Not just the most recent decision to allow human embryos to be destroyed in the name of stem cell research but the entire idea that human life has value at all.
In the United States – in the state of Oregon we already see the path this lack of respect for human life can take. Not only does Oregon allow doctor assisted suicide but its state sponsored medical coverage has placed a dollar value on a person’s life. Using a formula that must have been inspired by Herod himself, a person’s quality of life is evaluated before certain types of life-savng medical procedures will be authorized. If, under the formula, an expensive procedure like hip replacement is requested by a person considered who may only have a few years left in their expected life it will be rejected, wasted because that person may only be made marginally more comfortable for an anticipated short period of time.
It is not a large leap from the destruction of embryos and the devaluing of human life to government sponsored pregnancy in which the embryos are harvested for research. Or to allow children who are lobotomized in the womb or manipulated outside the womb in a lab to be born without any possibility of intellect, so their organs may be harvested – same principle as the destruction of embryos for stem cell research, just taken to the next step. They would, after all, not really be people.
When we think about Herod’s heinous we should ask those infant martyrs to pray for us that we might continue the fight for the sanctity of life in all its phases. With God all things are possible, perhaps with enough of our prayers some of those who care only for themselves may be brought to the light of understanding.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “The Massacre of the Innocents“ by Giotto di Bondone, 1310s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[4] See NAB footnote on Matthew 2:15
Additional Information about the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
Readings for the Feast of the Holy Innocents[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 1 John 1:5—2:2
Beloved:
This is the message that we have heard from Jesus Christ
and proclaim to you:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,”
while we continue to walk in darkness,
we lie and do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light,
then we have fellowship with one another,
and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, “We are without sin,”
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.
If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.
My children, I am writing this to you
so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 1:5—2:2
We are given in this selection a foundational scripture passage upon which the Sacrament of Reconciliation rests. The logic St. John uses flows nicely; Jesus, the Christ is light. When we sin we walk in darkness. When we admit our sin, the Lord who is “expiation for our sins”, brings us back into the light. If we try to deceive ourselves saying we are not sinful, we fall and, in a sense, make Jesus’ sacrifice meaningless.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8
R. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Had not the LORD been with us—
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8
The psalm is one of thanksgiving to the Lord for his gift of salvation – salvation from physical enemies; salvation from nature’s fury. The song thanks God who rescues us if we but reach out to him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-18
When the magi 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.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.
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.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Matthew 2:13-18
St. Matthew provides the story of the slaughter of the innocent children of Bethlehem. On this their feast day we are told how Herod, in his frustration at being deceived by the magi, sends troops to kill all the male children under the age of two. We are also reminded that this event and the warning received by Joseph to take the baby, Jesus, to Egypt, were both predicted in scripture.
In this ironic twist, the saga of Moses is replayed in an inverse way. A slaughter of innocents preceded his advent and the trek to Egypt by the Holy Family recalls the exodus event now relived by the Savior. “The fulfillment citation is taken from Hosea 11:1. Israel, God's son, was called out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus; Jesus, the Son of God, will similarly be called out of that land in a new exodus. The father-son relationship between God and the nation is set in a higher key. Here the son is not a group adopted as "son of God," but the child who, as conceived by the holy Spirit, stands in unique relation to God. He is son of David and of Abraham, of Mary and of Joseph, but, above all, of God.”[4] The passage concludes with a quote of Jeremiah 31:15 in which Rachel is weeping for children taken into exile at the time of the Assyrian invasion (722 BC). Tradition hold her lament was so profound it was heard for miles.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
In this feast day we remember the innocent lives of the first martyrs for Christ. St. Matthew describes how Herod, in great fear of loosing his kingship commits the sin of Pharaoh, murdering innocent babes, turning his back on the one who could assure him a kinship eternal and in peace.
The current world wide assault on the sanctity of life brings this story in to sharp focus. There is a great danger facing mankind and secular leadership already stands at the precipice of a very slippery slope (some say they are already hurling toward the pit). When this Gospel story of infanticide is told we immediately think of the struggle between the opponents of life and those who find life sacred. This debate is not just about abortion it truly reached into our homes and touches each one of us. If we take the position that an embryo is not a human life until the fetus draws breath and is born all manner of moral issues are brought into contention. Not just the most recent decision to allow human embryos to be destroyed in the name of stem cell research but the entire idea that human life has value at all.
In the United States – in the state of Oregon we already see the path this lack of respect for human life can take. Not only does Oregon allow doctor assisted suicide but its state sponsored medical coverage has placed a dollar value on a person’s life. Using a formula that must have been inspired by Herod himself, a person’s quality of life is evaluated before certain types of life-savng medical procedures will be authorized. If, under the formula, an expensive procedure like hip replacement is requested by a person considered who may only have a few years left in their expected life it will be rejected, wasted because that person may only be made marginally more comfortable for an anticipated short period of time.
It is not a large leap from the destruction of embryos and the devaluing of human life to government sponsored pregnancy in which the embryos are harvested for research. Or to allow children who are lobotomized in the womb or manipulated outside the womb in a lab to be born without any possibility of intellect, so their organs may be harvested – same principle as the destruction of embryos for stem cell research, just taken to the next step. They would, after all, not really be people.
When we think about Herod’s heinous we should ask those infant martyrs to pray for us that we might continue the fight for the sanctity of life in all its phases. With God all things are possible, perhaps with enough of our prayers some of those who care only for themselves may be brought to the light of understanding.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “The Massacre of the Innocents“ by Giotto di Bondone, 1310s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[4] See NAB footnote on Matthew 2:15
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