THE HOLY INNOCENTS, MARTYRS (FEAST)

He . . . will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. 

When he heard the news about a newborn king of the Jews, King Herod felt threatened. So he ordered the massacre of all boys in Bethlehem under the age of two (Matthew 2:16). As horrible as this was, it was probably only one of many other atrocities Herod had committed in his lifetime.

Clearly Herod was a sinful man! But look at today’s first reading: “If we acknowledge our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing” (1 John 1:9). It also tells us that Jesus is “expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world” (2:2). That’s a very broad—and bold!—statement. Even Herod could be forgiven if he were to repent. On today’s feast of the Holy Innocents, God is reminding us that not even the worst sinner is too far off from the mercy of God.

What does that mean for those of us who live in Christ? It means that even on our worst days, there is hope. As Pope St. John Paul II once said, “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son” (Homily, July 28, 2002).

Think about that! You are a unique, unrepeatable image of Jesus. You are not primarily a sinner who sometimes does the right thing; you are a beloved disciple who sometimes falls into sin.

Seeing yourself as a sinner who has been redeemed can help you be more open to God’s life-changing grace. Today’s first reading shows us just how high a price God has paid for that redemption: “the Blood of his Son Jesus” (1 John 1:7). Don’t discount the all-encompassing power of that blood to cleanse you and to change your heart! Don’t discount the wideness of God’s mercy to welcome you back when you have strayed. That mercy runs deeper than any sin that you—or anyone else—could commit. Even Herod.

Jesus is faithful to forgive all your sins.

“Father, thank you for cleansing all my sins in Jesus’ blood and calling me your beloved child.”

1 John 1:5-2:2
Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8
Matthew 2:13-18