HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS (MARTYR)
Homily for the Feast of the Holy Innocents (Martyrs) 1 John 1:5; 2:2; Matt 2:13-18 Dearest Friends in Christ, today, being the fourth day of the Octave of Christmas, we celebrate the feast of the martyrdom of the Holy Innocents, a similar witness to the one we received on December 26, the Feast of the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen. Here, out of envy and hatred, Herod had countless innocent children killed in an attempt to eliminate Jesus, the newborn King. The evangelist Matthew composes the story parallels that of Moses, thus, establishing the role of Jesus as the new leader, the one who is to guide God’s people into freedom and salvation. Imagine the grief that filled the town of Bethlehem and its vicinity as the soldiers went through killing those innocent children. Imagine the pains and the feelings of the parents watching their children been helplessly killed. On the one hand, it is shocking to know that God permitted this. But on the other hand, on a level of ...