Monday, December 28, 2020
Holy Innocents, Martyrs—Feast Day
Di Fourth Day of di Christmas Octave
Listen for English
After di Magi don leave, see, di angel of di Lord appear to Joseph for dream, come tell am, “Get up, carry di child and im mama, run go Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod go search for di child to kill am.” Matthew 2:13
Di most glorious thing wey ever happen for our world still fill some people with hatred and serious anger. Herod, wey no want make anybody touch im own power for this world, feel say di message wey di Magi bring to am na serious threat. And when di Magi no return to Herod to tell am where di newborn King dey, Herod do wetin person no fit imagine. E order make dem slaughter every boy wey dey two years old or younger for Bethlehem and di areas around am.
E hard to understand this kind act. How di soldiers fit carry out this kind evil plan? Think of di deep mourning and terrible loss wey so many families suffer because of am. How ruler for government fit murder so many innocent children?
Of course, for our own time, so many government leaders still dey support di cruel practice wey dey allow people to slaughter innocent children inside belle. So, for many ways, wetin Herod do no too different from wetin dey happen today.
Di passage above show us di will of di Father, no be only to protect Im divine Son, but also Im divine will to protect every human life and uphold how every human life dey sacred. Na satan push Herod to kill those precious and innocent children long ago, and na satan still dey promote culture of death and destruction today. How we suppose respond? Like Saint Joseph, we must see am as our serious duty to protect di people wey innocent pass and wey dey helpless pass, with determination wey no dey shake. Even though this newborn Child na God, and even though di Father for Heaven for fit use countless angels protect Im Son, na di Father will say one man, Saint Joseph, go protect Im Son. Because of this, make we too hear di Father as E dey call each and every one of us to do everything we fit do to protect di innocent and di people wey dey helpless pass, especially di child wey still dey inside belle.
Today, think deep about wetin God want for your life. For which ways God dey call you to be like Saint Joseph and protect di people wey innocent pass and wey dey helpless pass? How E dey call you to guard di people wey dem put for your care? Surely, for matters of society and government, all of us must work to protect di lives of children wey dem never born. But every papa, mama, grandpapa, grandmama and everybody wey get responsibility to care for another person must try hard to protect di people for their care for countless other ways. We must work with full care to keep dem safe from di evil for our world and di many attacks wey di evil one dey launch against their lives. Think deep about this question today, and allow di Lord to tell you about your duty to follow di example of di great protector, Saint Joseph.
Lord, give me deep understanding, wisdom and strength so that I fit work according to Your will to protect di people wey innocent pass from di evil of this world. Make I never shrink back with fear for front of evil, and make I always do my duty to protect di people wey dem put for my care. Saint Joseph, pray for me. Jesus, na You I trust.
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Saint for Today – Holy Innocents, Martyrs
See also – Suffering wey We Share
Di main image above: Di Slaughter of di Innocent Children by Duccio di Buoninsegna
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