Innocence

Today, Christendom marks “Holy Innocents Day” or “Childermas.” In the Philippines, we term this day as “Niños Inocentes.” The feast commemorates the senseless killing of infant boys under two years old (apparently considered as the Church’s first martyrs) upon the order of King Herod the Great (not really sure what was great about him).

I did a quick background check on Herod and came up with the following information:  He was apparently a very cruel man. He killed several of his wives and his own sons when he suspected they were plotting against him.  Those who challenged his authority were dealt with in a swift and decisive manner. He even tried to ensure that his cruel streak would continue after his death as he arranged that, upon his demise, hundreds of men would be killed so that there would be no mourning at his funeral.  

Matthew chapter 2:1-22 chronicles the events that led to the innocents’ slaughter. When the three wise men (or kings or Magi) from the east (an area which is now either Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Yemen) saw the Star of Bethlehem (which scriptures had predicted would signal the birth of the Messiah) , they immediately traveled to find and pay homage to the new-born King of the Jews.  They passed through Jerusalem and dropped by Herod’s palace (courtesy call perhaps?).  The latter was curious to learn more about this prophecy so he called together his chief priests and teachers of the law to inquire where the Christ was to be born.  “In Bethlehem,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:  “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.”

Sensing a potential threat to his reign, Herod requested the three Magi to report back to him in Jerusalem after they had found the child on the pretext that he, too, wanted to worship the new King. However, the three were warned in a dream not to return to Herod and so took another route back to their country. Two years later, after realizing that the Magi were no longer returning, and not knowing where to find the baby Jesus, Herod ordered the mass killing of all boys under two in Bethlehem (as at the latter was a small town, no more than 25 were probably victimized). Luckily, the Holy Family (warned through Saint Joseph who was visited by an angel in another dream) had fled to Egypt before the massacre was carried out.

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During “Childermas” or Children’s Mass, the priest wears purple vestments to commemorate the grief of the mothers whose babies were murdered that day.  Similarly, the joyous Gloria in Excelsis and the Alleluias are omitted from the liturgy.  Apparently, there is also a traditional Christmas play in Maloco, Aklan called Niños Inocentes. In this play, Herod kidnaps and demands a ransom for the baby Jesus but is persuaded to release him upon the payment of a sack of rice or corn.  I guess the gentle folk of Aklan could not fathom or believe the cruelty of Herod.

On a secular note, Hispanic countries such as Mexico and the Philippines treat this day like an “April Fools Day” where pranks can be played on the “Inocentes” or gullible.  As to customs, the feast of the Holy Innocents is a good time for parents to bless their children.  In addition, the youngest child is supposed to rule the family for the day and his preference as to food, music and entertainment should be respected.

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Speaking of Magi and innocence, my Oklahoma-based doctor brother sent our family the following poetic version of an O. Henry classic which many readers should be familiar with. It’s timeless lesson is worth remembering especially during this Christmas season.   

Gift of the Magi

In the tiny apartment on the Lower East Side,
The beautiful Della combed her long hair,
And thought about Christmas and bitterly cried,
For they had no money, no money to spare.

So little money, and Christmas was near,
And Jim worked so hard and for so little pay.
He’d grown discouraged, her darling, her dear
She must give him Christmas, she must find a way.

So she went to a wig shop and sold them her hair,
Her beautiful hair that her husband adored,
Her face was all pale as she sat in the chair,
And she cried as the barber cut it off short.

And out in the street, with a scarf on her head,
And the money in hand, Della searched through the shops,
And there in a window was the gift she must get:
A platinum chain Jim could hang on his watch.

His beautiful watch that his father had owned,
So handsome and beautiful, just like her Jim.
And she bought him the chain and gladly went home
And curled her short hair as she waited for him.

He opened the door and he saw her hair
And she ran to his side and tried to explain
It would grow back so quickly and she didn’t care
And she gave him the beautiful platinum chain.

Jim took her gift — how brightly it shone.
He covered his face and sighed in despair,
And he told her, “I bought you those tortoise shell combs,
Tortoiseshell combs for your beautiful hair.”

He had pawned his watch to buy her the combs,
To buy him the watch chain, she sold her hair
And the two of them looked at each other and groaned,
At the sight of the two useless gifts sitting there.

They sat holding hands and they started to laugh
At the beautiful emptiness of what they were wishing
The gift of the Magi is to hold what you have
And not think a minute of what you are missing.

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Greetings: Birth anniversary best wishes to Jose Rizal University president, Dr. Vincent K. Fabella.

Happy 2014 to everyone!

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“In their innocence, very young children know themselves to be light and love. If we will allow them, they can teach us to see ourselves the same way. ” 

                                                          – Michael Jackson

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