(Audio)
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.
Even apparent tragedies, things we would in which we would not find any redeeming value, God's hand may yet be at work. Ask the mothers of these children and they would probably disagree. Ask Rachel weeping for her children and should would almost certainly disagree. Yet these Holy Innocents are empowered to be the first witnesses to Christ. They ascend immediately to the arms of the Father. If their mothers follow them to heaven, now more likely because of their prayers, they will be reunited for all eternity. This is no tragedy. This is a miracle made possible by the infant Christ.
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,”
while we continue to walk in darkness,
we lie and do not act in truth.
We must be on guard that we do not become jealous of the newborn King as does Herod. Jesus insists in priority in our lives. We are no longer free to rule the kingdoms of our lives according to our petty whims. Our thrones are at the same risk as Herod's throne. Our hearts contain the same darkness as Herod's, albeit typically on a smaller scale. We need the light of the newborn King to shine in us. We need him to deliver us and make us less like Herod and more like the Holy Innocent.
If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.
God's hand is always at work, even when we can't see it. Because of this we can surrender to him in great confidence. We don't need to defend our thrones like the paranoid King Herod. The only true and lasting crowns are the ones found by the Holy Innocents. May they pray for us.
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