Matthew 2:13-18
When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother,
flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for
the child, to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother
by night, and departed for Egypt, and stayed there until the death of Herod, so
that what he had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I
called my son.” When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he
became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its
vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time that he had
ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through the
prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children; and she would not be consoled, since they were
no more.”
* * *
Introductory Prayer: Father, I come into your holy presence
this day aware that you guide my life with love. I believe that nothing happens
to me unless you will it. I renew my faith in your promise of heaven, where
every tear will be wiped away. Thank you for getting involved in our cruel world
in order to heal it with your love.
Petition: Lord,
may my presence today be a help to those in need.
1. Angels: We want to cry with these women who have
had their children stolen from them in the most defenseless time of their
lives. Human cruelty reaches so deep that it desires to maintain power by
snuffing out the lives of others! Yet these children silently remind us of
another reality. They remind us that there is a place where tyranny does not
reign. There is a King who rules by love and whose kingdom cannot be defeated
by cruelty. These children are messengers of that kingdom. They have been
called to give a brief but powerful witness of the fight that this King will
wage for love. They have gone ahead of him, and their mothers will find them
and hold them forever one day in the presence of their King.
2. Prophets: Thy Kingdom Come! This is the cry of
these children. One day this new King will reign, but it will happen through a
terrible fight with death and cruelty. These children are powerful prophets of
the struggle of this King. They are prophets of the drama of human history
where everything is at stake. Their cries are powerful prayers that will be
heard by the Father, and their cries begin to stir in that special Child the
desire to give his life as a ransom for souls. He will reign by pouring out his
life as a gift for these children and for many souls.
3. Children: The Church has declared these children
martyrs. The first saints of Christ are infants. Infants speak to us at
Christmas, and their witness does not go unnoticed. These children inspire the
Church and pray for her. A child speaks to us of goodness and innocence. A
child reminds us of the attitude we should have before God. Christ always lives
with a heart of a child, a heart that trusts completely in his Father. He shows
special predilection for children. He knows that often they are his most
powerful apostles, inviting others to God’s house by the simplicity and
intimacy of their love for him. How many parents have been converted or
discovered a deeper relationship with Christ through the example of their
children!
Conversation
with Christ:
Jesus, it saddens me so much to see how these children were taken from
their mothers and killed. It tears my heart apart to see how today so many
children are never given the chance to know their mother’s love because of the
evil of abortion. I want to be a consolation to your heart, Lord. I want to give
the very best of myself to you today in order to offer you some of the love
that these children wanted to give. Let my life be a witness of unselfish love.
Let me be like you.
Resolution: I will find some
way of encouraging a mother of a young child.