Today is a harder day of commemoration. Right in the middle of our ongoing celebration of the Incarnation, we are reminded that the birth of the Baby in Bethlehem didn't seem like good news for everyone. The Gospel according to Matthew tells us how Herod ordered the slaughter of children in and around Bethlehem, out of fear of losing his throne to a newborn king.
Augustine called these innocents "buds, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves."
Today we pray for all those who suffer unjustly and for those persecuted for their faith.
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I remember explaining a tapestry to a fellow traveler at St.Peter's in Vatican City that depicted the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents. Tabitha was shocked that such a graphic scene would hang in a church. I explained to her that the Bible does not shy away from horrible events perpetrated by threatened rulers.
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