Thursday, December 28, 2023
Holy Innocents, Martyr Dem—Feast
Day Four for di Octave of Christmas
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 thing. How di soldier dem fit carry out this kind wicked plan? Just imagine di deep sorrow and pain wey plenty families suffer because of am. How government ruler fit murder so many innocent pikin dem.
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 understanding, wisdom and strength so I fit work as You want, to protect di people wey no get blame at all from di evil of this world. Make I never fear and hide when I face 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.
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More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Saint of di Day – Holy Innocents, Martyr Dem
See also – Suffering wey We Share
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