RBWords

     Although this feast is entitled "The Holy Innocents" to commemorate those children whom Herod in a paranoid rage ordered to be killed to prevent any threat to his power, it could also be called "the Flight Into Egypt," to commemorate the escape of Jesus, Mary and Joseph from that slaughter.   The evangelist, Matthew, sees this terrible event as the fulfillment of a prophecy from Jeremiah.  Matthew also presents Jesus as a "new Moses" at the Sermon on the Mount, and therefore the order of Herod is seen to parallel the order of Pharaoh in Exodus 1:22, which Moses escapes by being "adopted" by Pharaoh's daughter!  Jesus escapes Herod's order but he will eventually be killed by another political power.

     The feast of the Holy Innocents gives us the opportunity to reflect not just on the deaths of the unborn, but the abuse of children everywhere.  Certainly this is a serious concern anytime anywhere by anyone, but the present struggle of the Church to come to terms with sexual abuse in the ranks of the clergy at all levels needs our concerned prayer and straightforward action.  In all cases it comes down to an abuse of power, whether political or religious.  Our prayers today must be matched by our actions to eliminate the abuse of power.  Jesus was born as a completely vulnerable child and died vulnerable on the cross, the victim of religious and political power.  Remembering this can help us keep the big picture of this season in mind.  AMEN