“What is he doing with the children;
who could have
let him in?”
The Holy Innocents
Fr. Tony’s Midweek Message
December 28, 2016
The three days after Christmas in traditional Christian lore
are the days of witnesses (in Greek, martyrs)
to Jesus: December 26 is the Feast of the deacon St. Stephen (a martyr in will
and deed; Acts 7:54-60); December 27 is the Feast of St. John the Evangelist (a
martyr in will but not in deed, since he died of old age after decades of
persecution [see John 21:23]; and the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the babies
killed by King Herod’s order in Matthew 2:16-19 (martyrs in deed but not
will).
The massacre of the little children of Bethlehem and
environs in the Gospel of Matthew serves clear theological purposes in the
narrative; some scholars have doubted its historical nature given its absence
in Josephus’ otherwise extremely lengthy and graphic listing of Herod’s
atrocities. Since Bethlehem was quite
small then and the actual number of those killed could have been as low as 20
or so, the incident may not have met Josephus’ threshold of telling horror
stories about the Judean tyrant. It is
clear that he murdered his own sons to protect his throne; this confirmed event
may lie behind the tale Matthew tells.
In any case, the story touches us deeply, and raises profound
issues. In the presence of God made
human being, horror exists. In fact, God
breaking into our human affairs and life actually triggers the horror. The fact that these innocents are not
Christians, but Jews, but nevertheless are honored as Christian martyrs
(martyrs in deed but not in will) tells us that witnessing to the presence of
God in life goes beyond explicit religious faith.
I was deeply moved by a recent painting by Salt Lake City
artist Judith Mehr. It looks like an
icon, and includes angels in the Russian orthodox iconographic tradition. It is called “Omran, Angels Are Here!” There,
between the angels, is the image of the blood-covered and dazed 5 year old
Syrian boy, Omran Daqneesh, A photograph
of the boy sitting in a triage station became a meme for the brutality
of the attack on Aleppo Syria after his family home was bombed out by the
Russian Air Force and his ten-year old brother Ali was killed.
Mehr’s placing
little Omran into a very traditional icon makes the point that holy innocents
come from all traditions and backgrounds.
It underscores Jesus’ teaching that God is present where we least
expect: “Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the starving. Blessed are those overcome by grief.”
Cornish poet Charles
Causley (1917-2003) wrote the poem “Innocents’ Song” about the Massacre
of the Holy Innocents, placing it in a contemporary distinctly post-Christmas setting. It makes the same point: we must protect children and innocents, do
all in our ability to limit the power and harm done by tyrants and the
wicked.
Innocents’ SongWho’s that knocking on the window,
Who’s that standing at the door,
What are all those presents
Laying on the kitchen floor?Who is the smiling stranger
With hair as white as gin,
What is he doing with the children
And who could have let him in?Why has he rubies on his fingers,
A cold, cold crown on his head,
Why, when he caws his carol,
Does the salty snow run red?Why does he ferry my fireside
As a spider on a thread,
His fingers made of fuses
And his tongue of gingerbread?Why does the world before him
Melt in a million suns,
Why do his yellow, yearning eyes
Burn like saffron buns?Watch where he comes walking
Out of the Christmas flame,
Dancing, double-talking:Herod is his name.
Grace and Peace.
Fr. Tony+
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