“Rachel weeping for her children … since they were no more.”
Mt 2:18b
The Feast of the Holy Innocents seems oddly placed amidst the joy and celebration of the Christmas Season. In this same 2nd chapter of Matthew telling of the Magi’s joy at finding Jesus, we are reminded that personal jealousies can block out the Lord’s message of salvation. In this case, King Herod felt his power threatened by a newborn – threatened enough to kill all newborn males 2 and under in Bethlehem, innocents in the world! Perhaps this was a foretelling of Jesus’ life on this earth – joy for those receiving salvation, jealousy by those whose lifestyles are threatened by his message of love for all. But did it stop at Jesus’ crucifixion? Let us look into our own hearts and ask salvation for the times when indifference or outright rejection has blocked Jesus’ message for us and others. The feast is well placed. It reminds us that an individual’s attitude of acceptance or rejection of Jesus’ message leads to joy or sadness. But there is still hope. Christians are not immune to trials and may even sin because of the trial; but, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.” (1 Jn 2:1b)
Does my Christmas joy withstand the trials of today?
Let us join in praise with today’s Gospel Acclamation, “We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the white-robed army of martyrs praise you.”
Today’s Reflection is by:
Alan Gauzens
Did you know...
Alan Gauzens is a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Dunedin. There, he is a lector and active in men’s ministries including the Knights of Columbus, That Man Is You! and Tap Into Discipleship. A 2019 graduate of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute, Alan and his wife Joanne have been married for 40 years and are blessed with 4 children.
