THE INNOCENTS

Why abuse the weak and defenseless?

The Massacre of The Innocents by Léon Cogniet (1794–1880), courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. [1]

Tomorrow, many commemorate the slaying of the innocent children by King Herod of Judea some 20 centuries ago, as told in the Gospel of Matthew. Growing up I always envisioned the gory images of babies being killed by soldiers. It can be questioned if the event, as reported, occurred.

Now, when I think of the Holy Innocents, I realize the profound message of the story. I spent some time searching for the right image to portray the horrors. I was turned off by images of violence, blood and gore. I finally settled on the image above. It captures the reality of the terror and suffering that humans can inflict on each other. Just look into the eyes of the mother and the child…

Each day humanity slays its innocents through persecution and ignoring the needs of the other, destroying the environment, denying migrants asylum, expelling refugees, blocking health care for women and the poor, eliminating food stamps for the needy, stealing from the weak, oppressing the frail, bombing the residents of Palestine, Lebanon, Ukraine, and so many other nations, and on, and on…

Tomorrow is not just a commemoration of another tradition. Tomorrow is an opportunity to see and feel the pain and suffering in the other and reach out to heal.

Who will step up to the task?

20241222

[1] This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer.