Holy Innocents

“Arise, take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt” Mt. 2:13-18

When life is in danger, God manifests Himself to save it. The way He does it, according to today’s text, is in a dream to Joseph. God asks Joseph to set out with the Child and Mary to flee to Egypt. Forced displacement in this case is the way to save one’s life.

The Child Jesus is the closest expression of God’s presence among us. We see how his birth did not mean that all was peace and joy. The coming of Jesus was the beginning of a struggle between the powers of evil and the kingdom of light, a struggle that would culminate in the passion and death of Jesus himself. Herod here represents the forces of evil. Often, even innocent children fall victim to this enmity that expresses the desire for power.

Often the innocent have to suffer because of so much evil in the world, sadly caused by human beings.

Contemplating Jesus as a fragile child always leads us to take the side of the victims, who are the ones who suffer the most. Let us introduce all migrants to him today.