By Sr Lini Sheeja MSC –
Feast of Holy Innocents
A young girl from Kerala had gone to Karnataka to do her nursing. After completing her studies she was unable to get her certificate in her hand just because she could not afford to pay her nursing fees amounting to Rs 25,000/-. This poor girl thought of earning this amount by working as home nurse and she went down to Bombay to a five-storied building consisting of 85 rooms, thinking it was a hospital as guided by someone. But that turned out to be a brothel and she was held there for 8 months. When this girl was rescued and found to be sick, she was taken to a hospital where she was diagnosed with HIV and Hepatitis. A young 9 year old child from Tamil Nadu, standing at the bus stop was given some food to eat and drugged after which she was sold in a brothel house in Mumbai where transgender persons were running a brothel. This 9 year old child was pushed into prostitution till she was 12 years old when she was finally rescued. Millions of innocents continue to suffer in the hands of tyrants. Prisons are overcrowded and innocent prisoners form a big portion of it.
Tyrants and Innocents
Innocents are always in danger of being slaughtered by the tyrants of this world. Innocents are always being victimized. Whether we call it Potiphar’s wife, Herod, Pilate, fear, poverty, war, hunger, injustice, violence, addiction, despair, sorrow, death, indifference, young girls pushed into prostitution and so on. The tyrants of this world seek to kill the innocents. Lakhs of innocents are forever victimized by injustices in our wounded world.
Biblical Background
Herod had planned to make the Magi tell him of the whereabouts of the Christ child. When he heard of the Magi’s change in course, he grew angry and tried to kill the infant messiah by killing all the young children in the area, an event known as the Massacre of the Innocents (Mathew 2:16). The Feast of the Holy Innocents, also called Childermas or Innocents’ Day, is a Christian feast in memory of the massacre of young children in Bethlehem by King Herod the Great in his attempt to kill the Infant Jesus.
The slaughter of all the young male children of Bethlehem at Herod’s command in an attempt to destroy Jesus is celebrated as the feast of the Holy Innocents. King Herod tyrannically ordered the slaughter of all those children and infants below the age of two, selfishly and jealously trying to protect his own power and rule, and he would not relent in his plan to destroy innocent lives. In doing so, he had made martyrs out of all those infants and children, called the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem.
Journey of Holy Innocents
Joseph was bought as a slave by the Egyptian Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh. Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, who eluded her advances. Citing his garment as evidence, Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of having assaulted her, and he was sent to prison (Genesis 39:1–20). The Holy Bible depicts the holy innocents as victims of injustice. Being a prophet, Jesus had many enemies. Having enemies is not a sign that one is bad. The tree which has fruits only gets stones. Many people want to hurt us, throw stones at us and if possible want to eliminate us. Although Jesus had many enemies he was not bothered about chasing them out or justifying himself. He was sure of His mission. On the cross, all abandoned Him and shouted at the top of their voices, “crucify Him”. Demanding to crucify him was, asking the holy innocent God to be crucified. Jesus went through complete abandonment by his own people, and even the disciples who were with Him for 3 years abandoned Him.
Robber or Redeemer
When Pontius Pilate stood before an enormous crowd and announced that he would let one prisoner go, the crowd had the power to choose the robber or the redeemer. They chose the robber and killed the redeemer. The robber was released and the redeemer killed. Jesus faced injustice. But soon He was raised up by His Heavenly Father. He went through his sufferings patiently.
Holy Innocent God Condemned
Jesus endured everything before us. The Pharisees and Sadducees persecuted Him and at the end crucified Him on the cross. Even though Jesus went through this agony He never doubted God and never abandoned His faith. Pilate said, “I find no guilt in this man.” The Good thief on the Cross said, “this man has done nothing wrong”. The Roman Centurion too said “Certainly this man was innocent!” The Innocent Jesus died so that the guilty might go free.
Sufferings for Sanctification
“If God is all-powerful and all loving, why does He allow innocent people to suffer” is the common question I hear from many people. God allowed His only Son Jesus to suffer and die on the cross to redeem humanity; the heavy cross was placed on the shoulders of Jesus for the sanctification of sinful humanity. The promise in Romans 8:28 that “God works for our good in all things” is most reassuring. God is good and He works all things, including your life, according to his purposes. Nothing can happen without God ordaining it. The Holy Innocents of Bethlehem are in our thoughts today as we celebrate their memory. The innocents continue to suffer to sanctify and to purify us.
Festal Blessings
I served as the Medico Social Worker at St John’s Medical College Hospital and thousands of families and individuals of terminally ill patients in their desperate moments used to come to my cabin and break down in tears. When I served in Child-line and witnessed the sufferings of the innocent children, when I stoop down through the prison gates and met the innocent prisoners, when I walked through the slums and encountered the suffering humanity, I used to surrender and do ask them to surrender their sufferings and tears for the purification of humanity because God does wonders through these offerings. Dear readers of this article anytime in your life, you feel unjustly condemned or face injustice, do not let it go in vain but rather surrender it to God for the sanctification of humanity. Rise above it and gaze at the graces which are kept in store for you! There is a purpose for every injustice that we face in our life and every suffering that we go through. Our redeemer faced injustice, how can we be spared from it? When Jesus was given the Cross, He embraced it with love as He bent down and received it. Let us bend down to all that the life offers. Festal blessings of the Holy Innocents!
Sr Lini Sheeja MSC belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. She had authored the book named, Sound of Silence in which the sufferings of the innocent God and of innocent humanity are depicted.