Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
I have been reflecting a lot on the person of Joseph throughout this Advent and Christmas season. I am struck by his humanity amidst the divine. He is the only member of the Holy Family who was not immaculate - he was sinful, just as we all are - and therefore so deeply human and in many ways so much more relatable. Joseph to me is a prayerful, faithful man. He listens to God's will and he says yes. But what really connects me to Joseph is that he often seems like the do-er in the family. He sees what has to get done and he makes it happen - and in that there is great love. Joseph loves through his actions because he is meeting the needs of those he loves. And right now in my life, I often feel like this is what I can contribute. I can prayerfully listen to God's will and then live out this will, working to do what needs to be done to take care of the people around me.
A few weeks ago my husband played a song for me that really spoke to me about Joseph. The song, Joseph's Lullaby, by Mercy Me goes like this -
"Go to sleep my Son
This manger for your bed
You have a long road before You
Rest Your little head
Can You feel the weight of Your glory?
Do You understand the price?
Or does the Father guard Your heart for now
So You can sleep tonight?
Go to sleep my Son
Go and chase Your dreams
This world can wait for one more moment
Go and sleep in peace
I believe the glory of Heaven
Is lying in my arms tonight
But Lord, I ask that He for just this moment
Simply be my child
Go to sleep my Son
Baby, close Your eyes
Soon enough You'll save the day
But for now, dear Child of mine
Oh my Jesus, Sleep tight"
Joseph understands the power of Christ's divinity and the impact that will have on the world, but in this moment he simply wants to protect his son from all of that. Those first moments, when you hold your newborn, feel mystical and divine in many ways. You are simultaneously in awe of this baby's innocence and terrified of how to preserve and protect them and raise them when there is so much evil in our world.
Which brings us to today's Gospel - Joseph was told of the dangers and evils that lie ahead for Jesus - so he did as he was instructed and left for Egypt. Aware of the evils in the world, Joseph did what needed to be done to protect his family. In these Biblical times, Herod was the face of those evils - greed, pride, selfishness, anger. The evils within him became so powerful he called for the massacre of all young boys under the age of 2 - the holy innocents, who we remember today.
And as we remember these holy innocents I think it is essential for us to look at the world around us and ask - who are we massacring? Whose lives are being lost as a result of our sinfulness today? We see all the innocent lives lost to abortion; we see the lives devastated because of drug use; we see the lives lost because of war and conflict. And in all of this, I can't help but wonder - how are we still making these same mistakes? How, more than 2000 years later are we still sacrificing so many holy innocents to the evils of the world? And more than that - how do we make it stop?
St. Joseph and the Holy Innocent martyrs, pray for us today that we may make our world a more just and loving place and put an end to all loss of innocent life. Amen.
- AJ Grimm