16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Rachel is weeping over the death of her children. They are not all really her children are they? Rachel is the mother of the house of bread, Bethlehem. Rachel could not be consoled over the death of her children. She lost her first Son in the land of Slavery. She died giving birth to her second Son.
It is all the children of Bethlehem who are sacrificed on account of Christ. There is no official record and some suggest that Jesus was not even there in Bethlehem. But Herod used the date he had received from the Magi, thus killing every potential King of the Jews. He killed all the children who were of 2 years and younger.
These children are referred to as the Holy Innocents. Some consider them to be the first martyrs, but it should be noted that they did not die for their faith. These children should not be considered innocent, because all of us are conceived in sin. These children should not necessarily be considered Holy, because there is no record of their faith. But they are still rightfully called Holy Innocents. They are Holy because they die as a part of God's Holy Plan and redeemed in the blood of Christ. They should even be thought of as innocents because they were not the ones even the King intended to kill.
Those people who killed these children committed a grave sin. The one who gave the orders for the children to be killed committed a grave sin. Those who continue to kill children like these today commit a great sin. But here is the real gift. The child that escaped this destruction eventually was killed. Jesus Christ was saved from death as a Child in order to save these children, those who killed them, and even you from all the sins you commit.
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