Cycle A - Year I:  

28 December 2022: The Holy Innocents 

(Liturgical Color: Red)

Readings:

First Reading:        1 John 1:5--2:2

Gospel:  Please Read  Matthew 2:13-18 

The First Christian Martyrs!

During the Octave of Christmas the Church marks a day dedicated to the memory of children known in the Bible as "Holy Innocents".  The Western Churches observe this Feast on December 28, while the Easter Churches observe it on December 29.

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, also called Childermas or Innocents' Day, commemorates the 20 or so babies slaughtered by the barbaric King Herod whose goal was to kill the Child Jesus and preserve his own power.  The Holy Innocents died in Christ's stead so that He could die in ours.

The Catholic Church regards these Holy Innocents as the first Christian martyrs. There is evil and sadness in every martyrdom, but eternal glory awaits the martyrs. We are disturbed and saddened by the shock and horror of it all, the anguish of these little ones and their parents. 

The Holy Innocents died because of the Child Jesus and for Him. They gave their precious young lives so that God's plan could be fulfilled in our Lord Jesus. There are no "small" souls, and these pristine souls made a way for Jesus.      

Biblical Reference: Matthew 2:13-18

The Gospel proclamation is about the flight to Egypt by the Holy Family to escape the evil plan of King Herod, and then the event of the massacre of the Holy Innocents.

"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; Rachael weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.' "    

King Herod:

Herod was the king of Judea. He was unpopular with his people because of his connection with the Romans and his religious indifference. Hence, he was insecure and fearful of any threat to his throne. He was a master politician and a tyrant capable of extreme brutality. He killed his wife, his brothers and his sister's two husbands.

St. Matthew wrote that Herod was "greatly troubled" when astrologers from the east came asking the whereabouts of the "newborn King of the Jews", whose star they had seen. They were told that the Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born.

Reflection:

While our Christmas joy is tinged with sadness on this particular day, we celebrate their glorious place in heaven and their incredible gift to us all.

As we honor and remember the Feast of the Holy Innocents, let us pray for the victims of genocide and abortion in our own generation. The Holy Innocents are few in comparison to man's cruelty to innocents of our own kind killed mercilessly in the crimes of genocide and abortion.

Let us also pray for all the "innocents" who suffer: children who are abused, those in vulnerable situations in families, children born to poverty and destitution, and children who are refugees.

Dear Infant Jesus, be merciful and forgive the cruelty of humanity to all the innocents in our time. Amen.

A blessed Feast of the Holy Innocents. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

 

 The Advent Wreath

The Advent Season is the beginning of a new liturgical year for the Church. The Church gives us this liturgical season so that we can prepare our hearts to receive Christ once again, in His coming at Christmas. We are also encourage to reflect upon our lives in anticipation of His second coming, at the end of time. 

One way people mark Advent is through the Advent Wreath. In Churches and chapels, including most homes and offices, we see a beautiful symbolism of Advent in the Advent Wreath.  It is made up of various evergreens in circle, signifying continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, depicts the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found only in Christ, the eternal Word of the Father.

The four candles in the Advent Wreath refer to the four weeks (or four Sundays) of Advent. According to tradition, each week represents one hundred years, to sum up to the four thousand years from the time of Adam and Eve until the birth of the Savior. Each candles is lit on each Sunday of Advent.  The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord's first coming into the world and the anticipation of his second coming to judge the living and the dead.

Three of the candles are color purple and one is color rose. In particular, the purple candles symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifice, and the good works the faithful undertake at this time in preparation for Christ's birth.

The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, which is also called "Gaudete Sunday", or the Sunday of rejoicing. It is so because the faithful are now at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas Day.

These are the meaning of each of the candles on the Advent Wreath:

First Sunday of Advent - "The Prophet's Candle":  This candle symbolizes hope to remind us that Jesus is coming and in remembrance of the prophets, primarily the Prophet Isaiah who foretold the birth of Christ.

Second Sunday of Advent - "The Bethlehem Candle": This candle symbolizes faith which reminds of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and Christ's birth in a manger in the City of David.

Third Sunday of Advent - "The Shepherd's Candle": This candle symbolizes joy and reminds us of the joy of the fulfillment of the promise of God to send a Savior by the birth of Jesus. 

Fourth Sunday of Advent - "The Angel's Candle": The fourth Sunday of Advent symbolizes Peace with the Angel's Candle reminding us of the message of the angels: "Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men."

The Advent Wreath is a beautiful way to enter into reflection alone or with our family. Slowing down during the hectic rush of the season and bringing family together around the Advent Wreath can be a source of peace, grace, and blessings shared with one another throughout time.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!