Daily Devotional for December 28

 

December 28                                               Matthew 2:13-18

     The Feast of the Holy Innocents

So soon after the angels tell us, "Be not afraid," there is this
sad and tragic story of the murder of innocent children. Jesus
is born, his birth is celebrated, God is glorified and praised,
and suddenly we read of Herod's fear of this long-heralded
Messiah, a fear that leads to a horrible act of vengeance and
death.

What is the point of commemorating this senseless act of evil
so soon after the joy of the birth of Jesus? The point is the
birth of Jesus! And the point of the birth and life of Jesus is
not that the senseless tragedies on earth have ended, as Jesus'
own death attests; the point is that there is a power greater
than all the tragedies in the world that has entered the world
to overcome them, as Jesus' Resurrection attests.

Therefore, even though death, injustice, oppression, murder,
and all kinds of vicious acts continue in our world, the good
news is that they do not have the final word. There is a God
whose power has come into the world to overcome all evil.

What can we say about the slaughter of the innocents? With
Paul we affirm, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword?... No, in all these things we
are more than conquerors through the one who loved us."
(Romans 8:35,37)

           God of Love, be with me in times of joy
        and in times of pain. I know that nothing can
               separate me from your love. Amen.

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.198