HOMILY OF 28TH OF DECEMBER
HOLY INNOCENT, Mm.(FEAST)
R1:- John 1:5-2:2
PS:- 124:2-3.4-5.7b-8
Accl:- We praise you, O God; We acclaim you as the Lord; the white robed army of Martyrs sings your praise.
Gospel:- Matthew 2:13-18
The news of Christ’s birth posed a great threat to King Herod. When he could not trick the magi into gaining access to the baby Jesus, he had to order the massacre of the male children in Bethlehem and in that region who were two years old or under.
The kingdom he was trying to protect was not the type that Jesus came to establish. Ignorance and blind tussle for power made him killed the innocent ones.
Herod caused wailing in Jerusalem at a time when people were meant to rejoice at the birth of the eternal king.
Those who live in his territory would know that he is a kind of man-made-god. Many innocents people had suffered in his hands as a result of his thirst for power. His wives and sons were not spare from his wickedness.
Those who think about their own relevance will always see upcoming neighbours as rivals. They do not know when they constitute themselves into Herods. But one fact is sure, no man can stop God’s manifestations. Though God may allow us play out our human scripts, at the end he will still show us that he is supreme.
May God help us to moderate our thirst for relevance. In our quest to be the only man or woman standing, may no innocence one suffer or die in our hands. May we never be an obstacle to God’s divine work in the midst of his people. Amen.
