20231228 PROVIDING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR CHILDREN TO GROW IN HOLINESS
28 December 2023, Thursday, The Holy Innocents, Martyrs
First reading | 1 John 1:5-2:2 © |
The blood of Jesus Christ purifies us all from sin
This is what we have heard from Jesus Christ,
and the message that we are announcing to you:
God is light; there is no darkness in him at all.
If we say that we are in union with God
while we are living in darkness,
we are lying because we are not living the truth.
But if we live our lives in the light,
as he is in the light,
we are in union with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin.
If we say we have no sin in us,
we are deceiving ourselves
and refusing to admit the truth;
but if we acknowledge our sins,
then God who is faithful and just
will forgive our sins and purify us
from everything that is wrong.
To say that we have never sinned
is to call God a liar
and to show that his word is not in us.
I am writing this, my children,
to stop you sinning;
but if anyone should sin,
we have our advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ, who is just;
he is the sacrifice that takes our sins away,
and not only ours,
but the whole world’s.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 123(124):2-5,7-8 © |
Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
If the Lord had not been on our side
when men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive
when their anger was kindled.
Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
Then would the waters have engulfed us,
the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept
the raging waters.
Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has been broken
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Te Deum |
Alleluia, alleluia!
We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to be the Lord;
the noble army of martyrs praise you, O Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 2:13-18 © |
The massacre of the innocents
After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
I called my son out of Egypt.
Herod was furious when he realised that he had been outwitted by the wise men, and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male children killed who were two years old or under, reckoning by the date he had been careful to ask the wise men. It was then that the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled:
A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loudly lamenting:
it was Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted because they were no more.
PROVIDING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR CHILDREN TO GROW IN HOLINESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 John 1:5-2:2; Ps 124:2-5,7-8; Matthew 2:13-18]
Traditionally, we celebrate without questioning the Feast of the Holy Innocents because it is based on the gospel of Matthew, where we read that Jesus fled to Egypt to take refuge from King Herod’s persecution. Having “been outwitted by the wise men, and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male children killed who were two years old or under, reckoning by the date he had been careful to ask the wise men.” Yet, if we examine deeper into the reasons for the celebration of this feast, there are historical, theological and scriptural controversies.
Historically, we must not imagine that the killing of the babies involved hundreds of children. Bethlehem was a small town. Scripture scholars estimate there could have been around 30 babies or less. Of course, this fact does not make Herod’s crime less heinous, but it is important that we do not over exaggerate the extent of suffering he inflicted by his decree. Some historians even held that this slaughter did not historically happen because it was not recorded in Jewish History. Nevertheless, in the light of Herod’s insecurity, Matthew’s record of this incident has its basis.
Scripturally, we must not take too literally St Matthew’s citation of Old Testament prophecies to substantiate his claim that Jesus was indeed the Anointed One of God. Nevertheless, even though his arguments would not stand to sound exegesis today, yet such a way of reading into scriptures using the sensus plenior is permissible. To strengthen his position, he even took a verse out of context from Jeremiah who was speaking about the exile, “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loudly lamenting: it was Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they were no more.” (Jer 31:15) Regardless of the way he used the citations, it bolstered the Jews’ faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah. St Matthew’s citation of Hosea’s word, “I called my son out of Egypt”, was also taken out of context. In its historical context, it had nothing to do with the flight to Egypt but rather how God delivered the people from bondage in Egypt. But in Matthew’s usage, it bolsters his claim of Jesus as the promised Messiah. That was all that mattered.
Theologically, what do we mean when we speak of the Holy Innocents as innocent? The truth is that the babies were innocent not in the theological sense that they were without sin. Today’s first reading makes it clear that all of us have sinned. St John wrote, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” So the babies, although morally innocent, also required salvation by Christ. This is the reason why infants are baptized in Christ even though they might not have committed any personal sin. The truth is that we are all born sinners and the sin of Adam lives in us. We might not manifest this reality in sinful actions yet, but the potential to sin is already in us at our conception.
Secondly, can the babies be considered to be real martyrs when they did not choose to die for Christ explicitly? Indeed, it is hard to see them as martyrs because they did not opt to die for Christ, unlike St Stephen. In fact, they had no choice.
How then can we make the best of this feast of the Holy Innocents? Precisely, in honouring the Holy Innocents, because they died not for anything that they had done but because of circumstances, the Church is teaching us the meaning of innocent suffering. Jesus too was killed even though He committed no crime. He did no wrong. St Peter wrote, “For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Pt 2:20-24) He continues, “For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God’s will, than for doing wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” (1 Pt 3:17f) Only innocent suffering can change lives and touch hearts. “As many were astonished at him -his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men – so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand.” (Isa 52:14f)
Secondly, this Feast reminds us of the need to have good mentors for our children and to set godly examples. Children are vulnerable and impressionable. How adults treat them will determine what they will become. Indeed, the doctrine of original sin is not just the fact that we are born with a wounded nature but that through the bad examples of others, we influence others to sin. So the goodness of our children to a great extent is dependent on whether they are raised in a loving, caring and affirming environment. If they are formed in a life-giving family, they will be life-giving. We must help our children to walk in the light. “God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Hence, people like King Herod are those people who sow seeds of hatred, anger and resentment among the young. They are insecure and plant the seeds of insecurity in their children as well. This is often seen in parents and guardians who are dictatorial and unreasonable in their behaviour. Sometimes, they express it by being competitive and comparing their children with others. Another way of planting the wrong seeds of growth in our children is through crimes against children, whether by exploitation of their labour, human trafficking, sexual abuse, paedophilia or physical abuse. If society is broken, it is because of the way we treat our young, allowing them to imbibe values that are of the world. Indeed, if adults are evil and selfish and permissive in their behaviour, what can we expect from our children? They only imitate what the adults do.
Thirdly, this Feast again reminds us of the evil of abortion, the taking of innocent and vulnerable lives. Whether we like it or not, a life is a life, whether it is one day old or two years old. By taking their lives, we are doing a great act of injustice to our own babies that we have conceived. The Church in celebrating this feast of the Holy Innocents wants to remind us that the human way of reckoning what counts is not that of God’s. A person has his dignity not simply because of what he or she can do but merely by the fact that she has a life and that life comes from God. This life is intrinsic and no one has a right to take the life of another person, whether it is a baby or an elderly. The Holy Innocents might appear as unimportant and insignificant tools for Herod to use for asserting his power. But in God’s eyes every person counts and is important to Him. Every life must be protected and guarded, cherished and loved for itself. Even when a life appears to be useless, especially a baby’s, or those who are elderly, God sees value in that life.
Finally, celebrating this Feast reminds us that God will use our sufferings, even if we do not understand the rationale for it, for His greater glory. Like the Holy Innocents who died because of Christ, they will be rewarded by God in His way. They might not yet be able to make a choice for Christ, but by dying for Christ without knowing it, they in some sense bear witness to Him. We can entrust our lives to Him and His judgement will see to it that justice is done as the psalmist prays, “If the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive when their anger was kindled. Then would the waters have engulfed us, the torrent gone over us; over our head would have swept the raging waters. Indeed the snare has been broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” So let us entrust our lives to Him for He knows what is best for us. Our part is just to cooperate with His grace.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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