The commemoration of the slaughter of The Holy Innocents. (Transferred from yesterday.) With the angels scarcely gone, when our eyes were focused on the joy of this Birth, our attention is suddenly wrenched away and brutally focused on human evil. Here, right at the beginning of Christ’s life, death lies close at hand.

                                                               Psalm 2:13 

Happy 

are 

they 

who 

put 

their 

trust 

in 

him.

          Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy, 

                 all innocent victims…   Collect 

 

The 

daily 

news, 

whether 

it's from 

Rwanda 

20 years ago

or Syria today, 

is a grim reminder  

that fanatics & tyrants 

will do anything 

to hold onto power. 

They often target children,

 as Herod did, attempting to eliminate the next generation 

of people they regard as threats. The gift of free will can be  

a hard pill to swallow when we see the depths of human evil and the suffering it causes.… As we remember the Holy In-nocents we are called to recognize that they are still with us and are still in need of protection.”  - Kathleen Norris, thanks to Give Us This Day