Readings:
1 Jn 1:5-2:2; Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8
Mt 2:13-18

Introduction

Today’s celebration shocks us into the realization that the birth of Christ was not all peace and joy. The coming of Jesus was the beginning of a struggle-to-death between the powers of evil and the kingdom of light, a struggle that would have its climax in the passion and death of Jesus. Herod stands here for the forces of evil. Even innocent children are often the victims of this enmity.

The story of the Innocents may very well be a theological illustration of Matthew on this climactic clash between good and evil that began with the birth of Jesus. Often the innocents have to suffer on account of so much evil in the world caused by people.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
today’s innocent martyrs
bore witness to you
not by proclaiming your name in words
but by laying down their lives for you,
even though they were not aware of it.
We pray to you on their feast
that we may bear witness to you
both by the words we speak
and the way we live what we believe in.
May we do so in the full awareness
of what we are doing.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Scripture Readings

First Reading: 1 Jn 1:5-2:2

We heard his message from him and announce it to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him.

If we say we are in fellowship with him, while we walk in darkness, we lie instead of being in truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we are in fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, purifies us from all sin.

If we say, "We have no sin," we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness.

If we say that we do not sin, we make God a liar, his word is not in us.

My little children, I write to you that you may not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an intercessor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Just One. He is the sacrificial victim for our sins and the sins of the whole world.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8

R Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.

Had not the Lord been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.

Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
R Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.

Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
R Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.

Gospel Reading: Mt 2:13-18

After the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you for Herod will soon be looking for the child in order to kill him."

Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. In this way, what the Lord had said through the prophet was fulfilled: I called my son out of Egypt.

When Herod found out that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two years old or under. This was done in line with what he had learned from the wise men about the time when the star appeared.

In this way, what the prophet Jeremiah had said was fulfilled: A cry is heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation: Rachel weeps for her children. She refuses to be comforted, for they are no more.

(Commentary)

General Intercessions

–   That especially children may be spared from suffering, malnutrition and maltreatment, we pray to God our merciful Father:

–   That children may not become the victims of unloving parents who do not want them, abandon them or desert them as they separate from each other, we pray:

–   That children may have caring parents who help them to grow toward a generous and rich adulthood, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

We bring these our gifts before you, Lord God;
accept them from your faithful people,
that we may be strengthened in our faith.
May they also bring your salvation
to those whom we sometimes call anonymous Christians,
those who do not know you,
yet who seek you with a sincere heart
by trying to do what is right and good.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord, God of eternal light,
we all share in the struggle-to-death
between light and darkness.
Let the light of your love and peace
shine among people all over the world,
that our solidarity in the evil of sin
may be changed into a new solidarity
of justice, forgiveness and community
by the coming among us of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

We ask the Lord today that he may bless especially our children, that they may grow up as God’s children, as good Christians and good citizens. May almighty God bless them and you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Gospel Commentary (Saturday)

The harsh reality of a cruel world is forced upon us by these young martyrs, the Innocents. This is the way the world is - even children are not spared. On the contrary, they are often the first victims. The innocents who perished in the Payatas trash-slide, Quezon City, July 10, 2000, come to mind. At that time we prayed and hoped that their sacrifice would lead to a better life for those who survived. As Christ's death led to resurrection, we trust and pray that in every seeming victory of evil and untimely death, God is able to transform what happened and draw out new life. As the psalm says, "Over their heads swept the raging waters….they were swallowed alive." Let's pray for the bereaved, especially those who still struggle for basic housing and education, waiting till "the snare has been broken and we have been saved."