Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
“Christ is light. In him there is no darkness. Come to him and he will bring you light.” My children sing this in catechesis of the Good Shepherd each week. The tune is catchy and it stays in my head and theirs, throughout the week. I find it a constant reminder to continue to seek out Christ - seek out the light in the darkness. This same message is relayed in our first reading today, as we hear that “God is the light and in him there is no darkness at all.” As we are in the Christmas season, this season of light and life and hope, this message seems very relevant and poignant.
But there is more. It is not enough to simply gaze at the light of Christ - we must choose daily to walk in this light, to seek this light. We are told that if we say we are followers of Christ but continue to act in the ways of darkness, we are not in the light. When we choose the light and choose to walk in the light - meaning we choose Christ in all parts of our lives - we will have fellowship with one another.
This brings me to our Gospel for today. I am always saddened by this Gospel. Christ came to bring light and goodness. This goodness was so powerful, this light so blinding that it threatened Herod’s power. And Herod, giving into the darkness of pride and selfishness, murdered thousands of children. Herod, living in darkness, out of fellowship with humanity, destroyed the lives of many. And I think the same is often true for us. When we are living in darkness, allowing our sinfulness to control our lives and our decisions, we are not in fellowship with humanity. We hurt others. We are so consumed by our darkness that we try to pull others into it with us.
But there is hope! We are told in our first reading that we have an Advocate in the father - our darkness does not have to consume us. We can find the light. But this starts with honest reflection on our lives. It requires deep introspection and a desire to recognize the sin in our life for what it is - sin. We know that we must attempt to avoid all sin BUT when it does happen that we do sin (because we will), we are told to acknowledge these actions, to call them what they are - sin - and to ask for forgiveness. Part of living in the light of Christ is recognizing our sinful nature and turning from it. We must practice self-reflection and work to grow.
As we near the end of the year and we think about our resolutions for the new year, this seems to me to be a perfect time to look at our lives - are we walking in the light of Christ or are there areas of my life that have fallen into darkness? What are those parts of my life that I need to acknowledge as sinful, repent for and bring Christ’s light to? And who have I pulled into my darkness with me? Who do I need to make reparations with to create fellowship again? Looking at ourselves in this way - examining our consciences - is never easy but it is incredibly necessary. On this feast of the holy innocents may you strive to rid your life of darkness and fill this world with Christ’s holy light. Amen.
- AJ Grimm