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.
G,K. Chesterton, in his book The Everlasting Man, writes that Moloch was the god of the Punic people. Their business empire spanned the Mediterranean Sea from Tyre to Spain, with its capital in Carthage. It challenged the Hebrews and their worship of the Lord until the Romans finally defeated Hannibal and destroyed Carthage. Chesterton saw the hand of God in Rome's success because, although they worshiped idols, they were less barbaric than the Punic people who sacrificed living infants to Moloch.
Herod's slaughter of the Holy Innocents seemed to spring from the same contaminated soil of Canaan. The Jewish kingdom of David had never completely eradicated the superstitious cult of idols. Before the Babylonian Exile, some of his royal descendants were known to sacrifice to Moloch to maintain the loyalty of pagan citizens.
Herod, driven by insane jealousy, resumed that horrible practice after his meeting with the Magi. Frightened people do stupid things; many abandon their superficial faith in God to plead for help from idols. Did not Saul, the first Jewish king, consult a medium in his terror, and summon the ghost of Samuel from the netherworld?
Turning away from the Truth in the first century or the twentieth-first century opens one to stark fear and then to idolatry. Today we have seen its most naked, horrifying forms in abortion -- a sacrifice of unborn children. And the killing of school children. The former holocaust is for "sexual freedom;" the latter is justified by "the second amendment."
We cannot celebrate Christmas without remembering the Holy Innocents. The Lord's birth is not universally welcomed. His coming is regarded in many places with suspicion and greeted with violence. Nor should his disciples expect any better:
Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. (John 15:20-21)
The persecution of the Church has never ended, and never will. As Catholics who publicly worship God in our churches, practice sexual fidelity within our marriage vows, and welcome children both planned and unplanned, able and disabled, we should remember our fellow Catholics in many nations who suffer ostracism, public humiliation, and martyrdom. We stand with them and pray that we are worthy of their company.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.