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. (Mt 2:13-18)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122821.cfm
If yesterday’s gospel of the Empty Tomb was a bit disconcerting here in the middle of Christmas, today’s feast of the Holy Innocents reminds us that not everyone was thrilled with the birth of the Christ Child. Some thought of his coming among us as a threat to the powers that be (the established order). And so, in hopes of killing him, Herod orders the massacre of the children. Today’s Christmas carol is Yo Soy Vicentico (I’m Little Vincent).
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Holy Innocents, Martyrs, December 28
