Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
Today the Church observes the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the young boys who were martyred under King Herod’s wrath. These innocent children were murdered in Herod’s failed attempt to kill our Lord Jesus Christ approximately two years after his birth. What an unspeakable evil. How completely diabolical. Herod’s cooperation with evil, his walking in darkness provides a stark contrast to what St John presents in our first reading about walking as children of the light. Today, let us turn away from any darkness, abandon our sin and any evil ways, and let us “walk in the light as he [Jesus] is in the light.”
In our Gospel we read about Herod’s plot and the Holy Family’s subsequent flight to safety in Egypt. Herod’s cooperation with evil was about as extreme as it can get. Herod let his anger, jealousy, fear, and likely a whole host of emotions overcome him such that he undertook such a heinous act. Today is a good day to contemplate our own emotional state. Are we nurturing any emotions to the point of sinful action? Let us examine our consciences. Emotions and feelings are not sinful, but they can overtake us to the point that we willfully commit sin. What emotions do we need God’s grace to manage in healthy ways? What sinful attitudes, behaviors, or tendencies do we need to shed today before they become overwhelming and controlling? Let us be mindful to nurture the good within us and not our concupiscence.
As we examine our consciences today, let us ask God for the grace to recognize any areas of deception in our lives. St John points out the deception common to humanity – thinking that we are “ok,” when in fact we walk in darkness. We present ourselves as liars when we think we are sinless, when we tell ourselves that we have fellowship with God and yet perform deeds of darkness. Today, let us simply acknowledge and face our sin, because we have this glorious promise from God, “If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing . . . if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins . . . [and] for those of the whole world.” We need not fear our sinful state, nor remain trapped in it. Even if dysfunction has become our “normal,” let us break free from the artificial comfort of darkness. We’re one prayer of confession away from being delivered from the darkness! Perhaps this week is an opportune time to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
St John declares, “God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all . . . if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” God is light. What does that mean to you? What does it mean to “walk in the light?” Deeds of darkness separate us from God and from one another. As we walk in the light we experience restoration, reconciliation, and renewal with God and with one another. I think that might be what John means when he says “fellowship” with one another. God’s light functions not only to illuminate our sin, but to lead us to repentance like a beacon. Today, let us ponder and consider what it means that God is light – what attributes and characteristics accompany God’s luminescence? What are the action verbs that would indicate that one is walking in the light? Specifically, what would it mean for you to walk in God’s light today?
We are not like Herod. As our psalm proclaims, “Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.” Let us live as the redeemed today. Let us live like Christmas people. The Light of the World has just come. Let us be so overwhelmed today by his light that we can’t help but be exposed, overcome, consumed, and led by its glow.
Elizabeth Wells