THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW recounts King Herod’s reaction to the news of the Incarnation. Herod was the leader of the Jewish people under the authority of Rome during the time of Christ’s birth. Cherishing his crown more than anything, he was threatened by the news brought to him by the Magi: that an infant born in Bethlehem would be a long, as the prophets had foretold. In order to eliminate this potential threat to his throne, Herod ordered that all male children in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under be killed.
In Christian tradition, the infants murdered at Herod’s command have come to be known as the Holy Innocents, or in the East as the Holy Children. The church regards them as martyrs because they died in Christ’s place, even though they had no choice. Beginning some time in the fifth century, the church set aside this day to commemorate the martyred children. The [western] liturgical custom is to omit the Gloria and the Alleluia prayers; the clergy once again wear purple instead of the festive colors of Christmas.
As with the celebration of Stephen’s martyrdom, this day reminds us of the inescapable tension between good and evil in a fallen world.
Today, the feast of the Holy Innocents has become a day to honor all young children. In England, this memorial is called Childermas, or Children’s Mass. Children are given a blessing; they sing in the choir and take on other special roles in the church service.
Herod was moved to violence out of fear. He failed to see the Incarnation’s saving power for all humankind, even for him. Of course, the extreme nature of Herod’s action makes any simple comparison with our own lives difficult, and yet at some level we must grapple with the meaning of this event. In our weakness and fragility we are tempted to believe that we can be in control of our lives. But Christ disrupts our lives by coming into the world, challenging our sense of self-reliance. Can any of us say that there isn’t a faint shadow of Herod within us, fearful of this threat to our ego?
The Gospel of John puts it this way: “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead oflight because their deeds were evil.” On this day we should be careful not only to condemn Herod’s cruelty, but also our own blindness to the significance of the Incarnation.
~Adapted from Eugene Peterson, “Feast of the Holy Innocents,” in GOD WITH US: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas, edited by Greg Pennoyer & Gregory Wolfe
