King Herod's Massacre

Feast of the Holy Innocents is not one of the more well known Catholic dates on the liturgical calendar. It is a commemoration of the death inflicted on every male child under the age of two in King Herod’s kingdom.

The birth of baby Jesus marked a very dark time in Bethlehem.

The Majji had announced their journey to King Herod and their quest to see the King born in Bethlehem as told by the new star they had followed. Herod wished them well and insisted that they return to him with the location of the child so that he might also pay homage. Informed by an angelic message, they did not return to Herod after they had seen the Christ child and went home a different way. King Herod, learning that the Majji had departed became threatened that the King of The Jews still lived among his people, and would take his kingdom.

He ordered that every male child under the age of two be killed. Following their orders, the soldiers and henchmen found the children and killed each and every one. However, they were not able to kill the Christ child because Saint Joseph was also visited by an angel telling him to get up and flee to Egypt with Mary and the baby and stay there until called back. Joseph did not hesitate and stole off into the night.

Herod’s kingdom was very large so one can calculate that the deaths would mount into the hundreds and perhaps thousands. A product of a deep darkness living within Herod. Todays analogy is the darkness of heart of those proponents of abortion.

Herod chose to preserve his power and position as do pro-choice advocates. They hold onto the opinion that women are the final arbiters in what is a basic life or death decision. Choose abortion to remove an obstacle to their plans, to avoid motherhood and all the responsibilities that entails, to take a political stance and join the legions of women who have suffered abortions. Whatever the case, it is a darkness that lives in their hearts that allows such a choice. The very one that Herod and they symbolically kill is the baby Jesus, the one who can lift that darkness from them

Remembering the Holy Innocents along with sixty million plus of aborted lives gives a certain power to us to take a stand for life. So many lives that were eliminated, who never breathed the air or saw the Sun, or felt their Mothers kiss cry out to us to be guardians of the future. To be generals leading their army that will ultimately lift the darkness and shed a beautiful light of life.

We have a choice. To remain silent and hope that things will change or take a stand and speak out against the darkness. Our prayer should be a lifting of the darkness from souls and a beginning of a conversion to the light of the Christ child.