TODAY’S READINGS

The Gospel reading is from Mt 2:13-18. Taking up when the magi leave, proclaimed is the horrific story of the massacre of children by the maniacal and unstable Herod the Great.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,
he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. (v. 16)

“Such violence is consistent with other ruthless acts Herod performed near the end of his life, including the murder of his own wife and sons whom he feared were trying to supplant him. Yet, as horrific as the ‘Massacre of the Holy Innocents’ was, it probably was not of the magnitude that is sometimes imagined. Bethlehem in the first century had a maximum of a thousand people, and there were probably only twenty male children under age two dwelling in the village and surrounding district. It is not surprising that other historical works from this period do not mention this event. As tragic as these killings would have been, they remain a smaller scale compare to Herod’s other atrocities.” (The Gospel of Matthew [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture], 56)”

“The Church regards these children as the first martyrs to give their lives for Christ. Martyrdom brought them justification (that is, salvation) and gave them the same grace as Baptism gives; their martyrdom is, in fact, Baptism by blood.

“St Thomas Aquinas comments on this passage in the following way: ‘How can it be said that they died for Christ, since they could not use their freedom?[…] God would not have allowed that massacre if it had not been of benefit to those children. St Augustine says that to doubt that the massacre was of benefit to those children is the same as doubting that Baptism is of use to children. For the Holy Innocents suffered as martyrs and confessed Christ non loquendo, sed moriendo, not by speaking, but by dying’ (Comm. on St Matthew, 2, 16).” (The Navarre Bible: St Matthew, 39)

“[T]he slaughter of the Innocents in the place of Jesus is a prophecy and an anticipation of the slaughter of Jesus in the place of all men…” (Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word, Vol. 1, 100)

This Gospel passage should be disturbing to our core. Not only that innocent children were killed, but that it could have been prevented. The angel warns the Holy Family to get to safety, but no one else — why not? Better, God could have just prevented the massacre in the first place by thwarting Herod’s plans or not having the magi consult with him in the first place. Or, how about killing off Herod before he could hatch his evil plan? Herod most likely died in 1 B.C. and Jesus was likely born in 3 or 2 B.C. — why not just wait it out? Or have Jesus born a year or two later?

The commentaries I quote from help us out here. These toddlers did not die in vain. We celebrate their feast yearly — this was a guarantee of heavenly bliss for them upon Jesus’ fulfillment of His mission. And don’t think Blessed Mary and Joseph were not praying intently for the grieving families. I wonder if, thirty some years down the road, these same families heard of Jesus and put two and two together (I suppose it is possible that the butchers may have given them some indication of why they were murdering, but who knows?)? What did they make of that?

This passage brings to mind a teacher of mine who said in class, fighting back tears, that he would rather see his young child die immediately if he knew that, instead, he would live long and die in mortal sin. To Aquinas’s point, these children were guaranteed heaven. Obviously, this is not reason to hope for or hasten the demise of anyone (life and death is God’s prerogative), but “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). God’s purpose here is to fulfill a prophecy and anticipate Jesus’ sacrifice.

Finally, this passage should make us more keenly aware and devastatingly disheartened by the murder of innocents today through abortion and the killing of living children during “botched” abortions. If we are horrified, rightly, of the unjustified killing of a couple dozen young children, what of the tens of millions killed in recent decades through abortion? Disturbing, as well, is the embracing of this “right” by state after state, enshrining it in (human) law. God help us!

God bless you.