Saturday, December 28, 2002
Holy Innocents, Martyrs
1st Reading: 1 Jn 1:5-2:2
Gospel: Mt 2:13-18
After the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you for Herod will soon be looking for the child in order to kill him."
Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. In this way, what the Lord had said through the prophet was fulfilled: I called my son out of Egypt.
When Herod found out that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two years old or under. This was done in line with what he had learned from the wise men about the time when the star appeared.
In this way, what the prophet Jeremiah had said was fulfilled: A cry is heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation: Rachel weeps for her children. She refuses to be comforted, for they are no more.
Commentary
The harsh reality of a cruel world is forced upon us by these young martyrs, the Innocents. This is the way the world is - even children are not spared. On the contrary, they are often the first victims. The innocents who perished in the Payatas trash-slide, Quezon City, July 10, 2000, come to mind. At that time we prayed and hoped that their sacrifice would lead to a better life for those who survived. As Christ's death led to resurrection, we trust and pray that in every seeming victory of evil and untimely death, God is able to transform what happened and draw out new life. As the psalm says, "Over their heads swept the raging waters….they were swallowed alive." Let's pray for the bereaved, especially those who still struggle for basic housing and education, waiting till "the snare has been broken and we have been saved."