Rachel weeping for her children. (Matthew 2:18)
The flight of the Holy Family into Egypt and Herods massacre of innocent children is a dramatic illustration of the battle between darkness and light. Yet even though Jesus whole life was lived under the sign of persecution, no powers human or demoniccould undo the work he came to accomplish. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5).
Why was Herod afraid of this little baby? He didnt know that Jesus had come to conquer hearts and souls, not lands and thrones. Herods fear was so great that to destroy one child, he commanded the deaths of many. He destroyed weak and defenseless children because fear had destroyed his heart. To prolong his own life, he tried to kill Life itself.
Even though Herod used force and cruelty to further his purposes, Jesus turned the tragedy into triumph. The Holy Innocents bear witness to Gods grace. They died for Christ, though they did not know it. While they could not yet speak, Jesus made them perfect witnesses to himself. They could not wield any weapons, yet they bore the palm of victory. Jesus freed their souls from captivity to the devil and made them adopted children of God. They now share his glory and reign with him in triumph.
St. Paul reminds us that we too share in Jesus victory, even when we feel defeated: We know that all things work for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28). Setbacks, failures, adversitynothing we may have to face in this life need separate us from Christ. His love can triumph over all, both in our individual lives and in the world as a whole.
Today, we face an evil far worse than Herods massacre: the slaughter of countless innocent unborn children. What can reverse this culture of death? Gods love can and will triumph, even here! Yes, a great evil is occurring. Yes, we must pray against it and seek to change the trends in our culture. But let us never do so out of a sense of desperation or hatred of those opposed to us. Remember: Nothing can snuff out the light of Christ.
Heavenly Father, comfort all the children lost to abortion. Bring them right up to your throne!
1 John 1:52:2; Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8