Word to the Wise
Thursday, December 28, 2006 - Feast of the Holy Innocents
[1 John 1:5-2:2 and Matthew 2:13-18]"Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."
The Gospel of Matthew is at pains to show how Jesus is a "new Moses" and is a fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah. This shows up in the particular way Matthew shapes the infancy narrative as well. Jesus escapes a general slaughter which parallels one that occurred when Moses was born. Jesus comes out of Egypt to lead his people. Nevertheless the story of the "holy innocents" is horrific. The fear of Herod, a petty ruler, leads to the destruction of innocent children. Of course the image is often extended to include any situation now where children are subject to abuse by anyone powerful. The Holy Innocents have become a universal symbol, especially in pro-life matters. In Medieval Times, the feast day was set up so that children became the rulers for a day and there was general mischief and celebration. When I was a novice, we were expected to put on a play to entertain the senior community. By making the day a benign and enjoyable occasion, we run the risk of forgetting the enormous suffering of children in the world today. Starvation, sexual abuse, physical and emotional abuse all are too common in our world. The advent of "designer kids" because of "advances" in genetics makes children into a commodity to be owned by a couple. The fate of the children in the scriptural account presaged Jesus' own fate later on at the hands of wicked rulers. This need not be the case of children in our own time. AMEN
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