THE HOLY INNOCENTS, MARTYRS (FEAST)

Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him. 

It’s only three days after Christmas, and already we are witnessing a violent reaction to Jesus’ coming. Even though Jesus is still a helpless, vulnerable child, he poses a threat to the powers that be.

But it’s not just Herod’s power that Jesus threatens; it’s the power of evil itself. Herod’s massacre of the infants in Bethlehem represents just one episode of a much larger story. From the moment Satan rebelled against God and the other angels, he has pursued one goal: to corrupt the goodness of God’s creation. He tempted our first parents to turn against their Creator, and has been tempting people ever since. Now all of humanity is burdened with the inclination to sin against their heavenly Father.

God knew that the only remedy against evil and sin was through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus. Jesus’ birth, then, was the opening salvo of God’s ultimate rescue operation. So we shouldn’t be surprised that our great enemy, the devil, sought to fight back when Jesus came to earth—even if it meant the death of so many innocent children.

As Jesus’ disciples, we are still in the midst of this battle. While Jesus’ death and resurrection was a victory over the powers of evil, the final battle won’t be won until he comes again to establish his heavenly kingdom on earth. The sad truth is that until that day comes, we will still experience suffering and loss. We may even face sorrow as deep as the mothers’ grief in today’s Gospel (Matthew 2:18).

But let us not become discouraged by today’s Gospel reading, especially not after the joy of Christmas Day. God loves his creation more than we could ever imagine, and he will not let Satan destroy it. That’s why our Father went to such extreme lengths to save us—by sending his very own Son into the world to become one of us. In the end, evil will be defeated once and for all, and what began with Jesus’ birth will culminate in the glorious kingdom of God reigning over the whole earth!

“Father, may your kingdom come, may your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

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