On the Slaughter of the 14,000 Infants
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Great and marvelous deeds are come to pass. The Word has become flesh and dwelt among us. God is become Man in order to renew our nature. A great sign shone forth in the heavens. A star, unique in its glory, led the magi from Persia to the Divine Infant, much as did the Pillar of Fire lead the Israelites of old through the desert. These Magi were guided first to Jerusalem so that, by God’s dispensation, knowledge of the sign in the heavens was brought to the rulers of Israel and the Magi would learn of the ancient prophesies concerning the awaited Messiah.
Herod had the appearance of being a believer and king of that great nation that was set apart from the other nations in its knowledge of God and correct worship. He had built a magnificent new Temple in Jerusalem that took forty-six years to build. Yet, “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matt 2:3). For the sake of maintaining own his status quo, Herod cast aside all pretense of piety and rebelled against God’s plan for the salvation of mankind and sent forth his troops to kill all male infants from three years old and under in the region of Bethlehem in order to kill the Messiah.
There is a beautiful summary of these events from a hymn for “Lord I Have Cried” from the Vespers service for the feast of the 14,000 infants that were slain:
The most lawless and wicked king * sought to find out the Timeless King, * Who Himself had now become subject unto time, * and since he then did not find Him to destroy Him, he harvested * a great host of guileless babes, * whom he made to be martyrs, which * he had purposed not, * making them also citizens of the Kingdom on high where they do censure * his mindless folly forevermore.
Herod is called “Herod the Great” by scholars because of his political achievements and his many accomplishments in architecture. Outward accomplishments can be quit impressive, but in the face of eternity, there is only one measure that is of ultimate importance, as our Savior said, “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16: 15). In that day of the Second coming, when ‘the books of our hearts’ shall be opened all those that warred against the order and rule of God’s Kingdom will be found destitute and estranged from the source of Life.
Today the status quo of the kingdom of this world is in opposition to the Kingdom of God and our culture slaughters the innocent young in ways more grievous than Herod’s act of atrocity. The 14,000 that we commemorate were physically slain and then united to God. The culture of immoral dissipation causes spiritual death and estrangement from God. The media, and at times even our government schools, inculcates the young in ways of life that are completely contrary to Christian values.
We must guard our hearts and, not only protect our youth, but also equip them to fight the good fight that is essential for salvation. To be a Christian is a struggle. Our Savior was born and 14,000 infants were slain and the God-Man became a refugee. Yet, through all of these temptations and more, our Savior attained the ultimate victory through His death and resurrection. We participate in that victory of the resurrection through the Church, but we still need to work out many practical details in our own lives.
The Church is the repository of the good, the true and the beautiful. We cannot assume that our children will gain knowledge of the things of God by osmosis. The default culture that knows not the God of Israel seeks to convert our young. In this pluralistic culture where ideas compete, we need to speak to our youth in season and out of season concerning the Church, God’s revelation and the answer to the questions of why we were created and what this life is all about.
I have been saddened in the past to hear that a priest wanted to give a high school student some materials to read and the parents complained they the student already had too much to read for homework. Rather than sending the message to their child that spiritual things are secondary to study, they should have worked with the priest to keep the spiritual instruction going, but perhaps with a lighter load. Education and career are important, but it is more important for all of us to maintain a spiritually balanced life. The decisions we make in life must be made with the intention of participating in a Eucharistic community wherein one can grow. If one is found far from a parish, then home prayer and ritual takes on an even more vital role.
We Christians of the last times need to identify and forearm ourselves and our families against present day threats to our spiritual well being. Parents would not think of inviting perfect strangers into their homes and allowing them to say and do inappropriate things in front of their children, yet, the various forms of the media do just that. Controlling television, movies and the Internet in the home is essential. One can investigate resources on the Internet for controlling the media in the household and the special dangers of the Internet by doing a search on the Internet or using the URLs provided below.
A Television documentary that all parents of teens should see is entitled "The Merchants of Cool." The PBS program, Frontline aired this documentary originally in February 2001. One can view it online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/. "The Merchants of Cool" describes how large media corporations studied teens like an anthropologist would a primitive culture. Teen culture was then colonized, subtly taken over and manipulated by corporate media in order to sell their products. (Parents should view the documentary before deciding to allow their children to see it.)Another troubling and difficult topic is the ever increasing occurrence of molestation of children. Statistics demonstrate that perpetrators can come from any background and can be close relatives, teachers, scout leaders, coaches, clergy, and counselors. An extraordinary resource for learning how to protect your children and how to teach them to protect themselves is found at the Committee For Children www.cfchildren.org (see additional URLs below).
May you all be able to spend your days in spiritual vigilance and gladness for the hope of the resurrection and eternal life.
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
In Christ,
+ Metropolitan Moses
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RESOURCES
Focus on the Family
Family Safety: Hot topics
http://www.family.org/protection/
Protecting Children on the Internet
http://www.family.org/entertainment/A000000935.cfm
Internet Safety—Safe Kids
http://www.safekids.com/
Committee For Children
http://www.cfchildren.org
Articles on How to Identify and Prevent Child Abuse
http://www.cfchildren.org/issues/abuse/
Facts About Child Sexual Abuse
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
What Do I Do Now?
Indicators of Child Sexual Abuse and Guidelines for Mandated Reporters by Tracy Flynn, M.Ed.
Beginning the Conversation About Touching Safety
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
Establishing a Safe Environment for Your Kids by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
Guidelines for Choosing Babysitters and Caretakers
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
Teaching Touching Safety Rules
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
Safety Steps to Prevent Sexual Abuse
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
Practicing Safety Rules and Assertiveness
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
Signs of Sexual Abuse
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
Handing Sexual Abuse Disclosure
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
Dealing with Sexual Abuse: Getting Help
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
Preventing Sexual Harassment and Date Rape
by Bridgid Normand, M.Ed.
What's Happening with Child Sexual Abuse Prevention? by Carol Plummer, M.S.W., A.C.S.W.
Partnering with Parents to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
by Sandy Wurtele, Ph.D.