My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!
+
ON THE 29th OF DECEMBER OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE HOLY FOURTEEN THOUSAND INFANTS AT HEROD'S ORDER IN BETHLEHEM
When King Herod "saw that he was mocked of the wise men" (Matthew, Ch. 2), he became "exceeding wroth," both with them and the newborn King of the Jews. He was angry with the Magi because they had failed to return and tell him where the Child was, and with Christ because he was afraid to lose his kingdom. He thought Christ wished to establish an earthly empire and failed to understand that the Lord's Kingdom is not of this world. What, then, did wretched Herod do? He could harm neither the Magi, who had departed nor Christ, Whose whereabouts were unknown to him, so he poured out his wrath upon innocent children. Like a savage, wounded beast that does not care what injured it, but lunges at whatever happens to be nearby, Herod in his rage attacked the blameless infants because those who had aroused his fury were out of reach. He sent soldiers armed as if for battle to Bethlehem, with orders to slay every child that was "two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men."
Forty days after the Nativity, the glorious cleansing of the Most Pure Theotokos and the Meeting of the Lord took place in the Temple. The elder Symeon and Anna the prophetess testified before all the people that the Child was the Messiah. Word of this spread throughout Jerusalem and reached Herod, who then understood that the Wise Men had defied him. He became convinced that the Infant received by the elder was the same One he sought; that the words of the Magi concerning the newborn King were true; and that the kings had indeed found Him in Bethlehem, but had returned home another way. He was infuriated by the Wise Men's disdain for his authority and employed every means at his disposal to find out where the Child was, but without success, because Joseph had left for Egypt soon after the rites of purification were performed. For a whole year Herod vainly searched for Christ. Then necessity required him to visit Caesar in Rome, and he became very worried that the people would acclaim the Child king and he would lose his throne. Therefore, he decided to destroy all the infants in Bethlehem and with them, Christ the Lord. The slaughter of the innocents took place twenty-one months after the Star appeared, in the year following the Nativity, on the 29th of December; therefore, the Holy Church commemorates these blameless sufferers on this day. Because he wished to be certain he had achieved his aim, fearful Herod slew "all the children from two years old and under." "Do not marvel that every infant two years old or less was put to death," says the holy John Chrysostom. The raging tyrant was a coward, so his order was intended to allow the soldiers no possibility for error" (Saint Chrysostom's 7th Homily on Matthew). Efthymius Zigavenus' explanation agrees with Chrysostom's": "Herod knew that the Star appeared some time before the Child was born, and to prevent Christ's escape, commanded that no babe less than two years old survive."
Some of the innocent children were run through with the sword, others smashed against walls or with rocks, others hurled to the ground and trampled underfoot, others strangled, others had their limbs torn off, others were speared, others cleaved asunder. Their mothers wailed pitifully, piercing heaven with their cries. They ripped out their hair and tore their flesh and clothing. On that day the saying of the Prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not" (Matthew, Ch. 2). Rama was a city on a hill within the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin. Rachel is another name for Bethlehem, since Rachel, mother of Benjamin and wife of the Patriarch Jacob, was buried there. When the infants were slaughtered in Bethlehem, that is, in Rachel, "the lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning" of the mothers could be heard in Rama, which is not far away.
Both Saint John Chrysostom and Saint John of Damascus describe how the mothers mourned their slain babes. Saint John Chrysostom writes: "The mothers pleaded with the murderers, 'Why do you butcher our children? What offense have they committed against you or your king?' But the soldiers were too busy with their grisly work to reply. Nothing could calm the women, who were in a frenzy and cried out with ever-increasing desperation, 'Mercy! Mercy! Have you no mothers? Do you not have wives? Are you not put to shame by our naked breasts? What if these were your children? Have compassion on us; slay us rather than our little babies. We cannot bear to see them destroyed! Take our lives first! Wet your swards with our blood! If these children have committed some wrong, put us to death with them.'
Soon after the massacre of the holy children, Divine retribution overtook Herod. According to Saint Theophylact, he "came to a miserable end, with fever, spasms of the bowels, itching swelling of the feet, rotting of the private parts, breeding of worms, difficulty in breathing, and spasms in every member until he spat out his wicked soul" (Saint Theophylact, Explanation of St. Matthew). It is said that he was not satisfied with slaughtering the children of Bethlehem and that shortly before expiring he executed many of the most noble and eminent citizens of Jerusalem.
The Scribes became furious with Zacharias (father of St. John the Baptist). They reported to Herod that Prophet Zacharias was a brazen law-breaker who had permitted a mother to stand where she ought not and that he had proclaimed the seedless conception of her Son. Within a few days, Joseph fled with Mary to Egypt and the unsuccessful search for the Child began. During that time the Scribes' anger at Saint Zacharias and the elder did not cool. Symeon soon breathed his last and was deprived of an honorable burial, while Zacharias was put to death by Herod, at the instigation of the Scribes. Zacharias refused to reveal where his son St. John the Baptist was during the massacre of the Bethlehemite children, so the King's executioners slew him between the Temple and the Altar. In this way, the Scribes and Pharisees rewarded him for permitting the Most Pure One to stand in the place appointed for virgins.
Taking the lives of many even as the sands of time ran out for him, the malefactor was hurled into Hell, where he joined his confederates. As for the holy infants slaughtered for Christ, they reside on high with the Angels, "for of such" children is "the Kingdom of God" (Luke, Ch. 18) in Christ Jesus our Lord. Unto Him be glory forever. Amen. (Source: The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints)
________________________
"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos
+++
With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George