HOLY INNOCENTS, MARTYRS : Saturday 28th December 2024

John’s letter cautioned Christians of the two
contrasting spheres of life: a life of righteousness that
can be called “light” and a life of lies called “darkness”.
To have fellowship with God, we must walk in the light
for “God is light”. Those who walk in the light are not
hiding anything. It even calls us to acknowledge our
sins and repent of them. Pretending that we never sin is
to live a lie. We still hide in darkness.
Christ sets the criterion between those who walk in
the light or in darkness. He is the point of reference
because He has offered Himself as the sacrificial
offering for the whole world to see their lies. The blood
He shed on the cross exposed the darkness of sin. As
children of the light, we can hear His cry in the crib and
on the cross, so that we will not fall into keeping hidden
evil intent to terminate life.

Herod’s intent to have all the male children who are
two years old and below killed so that he may get rid of
the divine child, is cooperating with evil and lies. He
failed to recognise that infants are messages of God.
Even now, infants who died are the innocents for Jesus.
Theirs is a holy death. The infant Jesus was to grow to
fulfill a higher purpose to save humanity from its sin.

Lord, in Your light we see life, may our commemoration of the Innocents, deepen our repentant life.