Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 28, 2024
When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.
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.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:
A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.
Reflection
Every morning growing up, my mom would come into my room and say, “Levantate, Becky” (Rise, Becky). She never yelled; she had a calm but authoritative tone. I remember one early morning when she called me, and the tone was still calm but with urgency.
My baby brother was in the middle of a seizure, and my mom needed me to rise and care for my other siblings while she took my baby brother to the hospital. The tone of urgency got me up fast and called me to care and protect the smaller ones. I imagine the same tone of the angel of the Lord to Joseph when he said, “Rise, take…”; a calm tone of urgency that led Joseph to get up quickly and respond to the command to journey into the unknown, protecting and caring for baby Jesus.
Today, Rachel is still weeping for the millions of children and adolescents around the world who live without protective, nurturing, and loving care as a result of poverty and other factors, including disabilities, disease, exploitative labor, abortion, or human trafficking.
Our three days of joyful celebration are interrupted with loud lamentation, and we are being instructed to rise out of our comfort and protect the precious gift of Jesus in the most vulnerable…our children.
Just like St. Joseph, we must first be aware of God’s holy presence, stay faithful, and rise to care for and protect the most innocent, the most vulnerable. We are being reminded that God desires and seeks us, and like St. Joseph, “nos levantamos” (we rise). Although risky, responding to God’s calm and urgent voice is crucial to our call.
May we seek to protect the most holy innocent with faithful strength and love. St. Joseph, pray for us.
Prayer
Lord, in a world in which traffickers, criminals, and even governments cause children to be ripped from the arms of their parents, we pray confidently that you will inspire us as the Body of Christ to work passionately to protect mothers, fathers, and children from all who would harm them. Your Son himself escaped this fate through a message from your angel and the obedience of Joseph, your servant. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
The story of the slaughter of the Holy Innocents is part of the narrative of Jesus’ birth. Herod governed the Jewish portion of the Roman Empire when Jesus was born. When he heard that people looked for the birth of a new “king of the Jews,” and that scholars from the east had already come to worship him, Herod felt threatened.
He learned that this Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, and sent for the visiting magi. He cross-examined them to learn what they knew, then told them to report back to him after they found the child under the pretense that he, Herod, wanted to pay homage as well. The magi were warned in a dream to avoid returning to Herod, so they went home a different way.
At the same time, an angel warned Joseph to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt because “Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him” (Mt 2:13). The image below, which stands in the Beichner Married Student Housing Center chapel, depicts the Holy Family's flight to Egypt.
When Herod learned that the magi had deceived him, he became furious and ordered the murder of all the boys in and near Bethlehem 2 years old or younger.
Herod was a barbaric ruler responsible for many crimes and slaughters. Tradition has inferred the slaughter of the Bethlehem children to have killed many children--anywhere from 14,000 to 144,000--but it is not likely that nearly this many were killed. Estimating by the size of Bethlehem, including its surroundings, there could not have been more than 25 baby boys 2 years old or younger at any given time.
The feast of the Holy Innocents has been remembered by the Church since the fifth century. These children are venerated as martyrs of sorts—they died not only for Christ but actually instead of Christ. St. Augustine called them buds killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves.
The Holy Innocents are honored as patrons of babies, and some of the relics in the Basilica reliquary chapel indicate that they come from these children (read more about the status of relics in the reliquary chapel here). Today's featured image, which depicts their slaughter, is part of the collection in the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art on campus and is used with their permission.
Holy Innocents, you were killed in the place of Christ and are patron saints of all infants—pray for us!
Image Credit: Studio of Ludovico Mazzolino (Italian), Massacre of the Innocents, early 16th century, oil on copper. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art: Gift of Dr. M. L. Busch, 1953.006.