Dec 28th: The Feast of the Holy Innocents

December 28 is the feast day of the Holy Innocents. Ever since the 5th century, the Church has commemorated this day in memory of the children killed by King Herod after Jesus’ birth. 

Herod the Great was known for consolidating Roman rule over and advancing the Hellenization of Judaea. He built the city of Sebaste on the site of ancient Samaria as well as the port city of Caesarea and rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem. But when he was visited by wise men from the East who were looking for the “newborn king of the Jews”, he was greatly disturbed. He asked the Magi what Scripture said of the location where the child would be born. They told him it would happen in Bethlehem. So Herod told the wise men to look for the child and then report back to him so he could also do him homage. The Magi found the Holy family and gave the child gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Magi were warned by an angel that they should not report back to Herod. They went back home by a different route. Joseph also received a message from an angel and fled with his family to Egypt. Herod eventually realized that the Magi were not coming back. He was furious at being disobeyed. He ordered that all boys under the age of two who lived near Bethlehem should be killed. By doing this, he hoped that he would also be destroying the Christ child. The Holy Innocents remind us that as the Universal Church teaches, all life is precious and that the most vulnerable among us must be protected.  

Mt 2:13-15, 19-23

"When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod had died, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,
for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
He rose, took the child and his mother,
and went to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea
in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go back there.
And because he had been warned in a dream,
he departed for the region of Galilee.
He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth,
so that what had been spoken through the prophets
might be fulfilled,
He shall be called a Nazorean."

The Massacre of the Innocents is the incident described in the nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew (2:16–18) in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem. Church tradition commemorates them as the first Christian martyrs. Since Matthew is the only one to record the event and the details surrounding it are slim, it has led to speculation, some like Maier, Paul L. (1998). "Herod and the Infants of Bethlehem",  even suggesting the event to be myth, or legend. Analogous To  DavidTurner,  writing for the Jerusalem Post where he posists that Anti-Judaism in Christian scripture directly led to the “Jewish Problem”, and where he cites Dr. Eisenman: "Dr Eisenman emphasizes that nowhere, at least not in Jewish scripture, are Jews accused of having murdered their prophets" -  Maeir argues that because the story of the massacre is found in no gospel other than Matthew, nor is it mentioned in the surviving works of Nicolaus of Damascus, who was a personal friend of Herod the Great, nor in Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews, despite his recording many of Herod's misdeeds including the murder of three of his own sons “In view of the lack of independent confirmation that the event ever occurred, scholars consider it folklore inspired by Herod's reputation.  The event is alluded to by Macrobius, a pagan writing in the early 5th century: "On hearing that the son of Herod, king of the Jews, had been slain when Herod ordered that all boys in Syria under the age of two be killed, [Augustus] said, 'It’s better to be Herod’s pig than his son.'"

While the biblical episode is usually labeled a “massacre,” to emphasize the ruthless spilling of innocent blood. It was a terrible act, though it pales in comparison to the modern day killing of innocent children throughout the world, including the Black Genocide.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “The Greek Liturgy asserts that Herod killed 14,000 boys (ton hagion id chiliadon Nepion), the Syrians speak of 64,000, [and] many medieval authors of 144,000.” Modern writers reduce the number considerably, since Bethlehem was a rather small town. Knabenbauer brings it down to fifteen or twenty (Evang. S. Matt., I, 104), Bisping to ten or twelve (Evang. S. Matt.), Kellner to about six (Christus and seine Apostel, Freiburg, 1908); cf. "Anzeiger kath. Geistlichk. Deutschl.", 15 Febr., 1909, p. 32. While this cruel deed of Herod as Maeir noted, is not mentioned by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, although he relates quite a number of atrocities committed by the king during the last years of his reign. The number of these children was so small that this crime appeared insignificant amongst the other misdeeds of Herod. Macrobius (Saturn., IV, xiv, de Augusto et jocis ejus) relates that when Augustus heard that amongst the boys of two years and under Herod's own son also had been massacred, he said: "It is better to be Herod's hog [ous], than his son [houios]," alluding to the Jewish law of not eating, and consequently not killing, swine. But the "infant" mentioned by Macrobius, is Antipater, the adult son of Herod, who, by command of the dying king was decapitated for having conspired against the life of his father.

Regardless of how many children were killed, their deaths were a horrible atrocity, and Jesus could have been part of that number if Joseph had not been warned to flee beforehand.

RELATED 

Did Herod actually kill the “Holy Innocents

https://aleteia.org/2019/12/31/did-herod-actually-kill-the-holy-innocents/

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Remembrance Of #Childermas: The Feast of Holy Innocents, when King Herod’s massacred children in an attempt to murder the infant Jesus: first Christian martyrs. The Massacre of the Innocents is the incident in the nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem.

https://x.com/CotoBlogzz/status/1740479153093378409?s=20

Feast of the Holy Innocents Herod “the Great,” king of Judea, has been described as a master politician capable of extreme brutality. He killed his wife, his brother, and his sister’s two husbands, for example, but not unlike modern US politicians responsible for the Black Genocide

No wonder Herod was “greatly troubled” when astrologers from the east came asking the whereabouts of “the newborn king of the Jews,” whose star they had seen. They were told that the Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born. Herod cunningly told them to report back to him so that he could also “do him homage.” They found Jesus, offered him their gifts, and warned by an angel, avoided Herod on their way home. Jesus escaped to Egypt. Herod became furious and “ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under.”

https://x.com/CotoBlogzz/status/1740452317210849311?s=20

Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist

 Today. December 27, we celebrate the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist – the “disciple Jesus loved” (John 13:23).  The author of a Gospel account, three epistles, and the book of Revelation, John was a close friend of Jesus, a spiritual teacher and the only disciple  who was not marryred, living to about 100 years of age —shortly before he passed away—John wrote the Book of Revelation, the fourth Gospel, and his three epistles. His writing is symbolized by an eagle, soaring to the greatest theological and mystical heights.

Today's Reading;

"Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life —
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us— 
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete." - 1 Jn 1:1-4

John was a fisherman with his father Zebedee and his brother James the Greater, joining Simon Peter and Andrew as "Fishers of men" -  a phrase used in the gospels to describe the mandate given by Jesus to his first disciples. Two brother fishermen, Simon called Peter and Andrew, were casting a net into the Sea of Galilee. As he commenced his preaching ministry, Jesus called them
to follow him and told them that in doing so they were to become "fishers of men". The phrase is mentioned in Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17.
Likewise, when Our Lord called John to follow Him, John immediately left his nets, father, and home.

From that time, he remained very close to Jesus, witnessing along with Peter and James miracles and revelations—such as the Transfiguration—for which the other Apostles were not present.

After Jesus’ Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension, John stayed in Palestine for about twelve years, evangelizing there with the other Apostles. Eventually he went to preach in Ephesus, and from then on traveled a great deal, preaching, baptizing, and ministering to the new Catholic communities.

John was unique from all the other Apostles in his relationship with Our Lord. It was John who watched at the foot of the Cross when all others fled. It was John who was charged to care for the Blessed Mother as her son. It was John who felt the beating Heart of the One Who loved the world so much He became man to redeem it.

St. Paul called John “a pillar of the early Church” because he was a firm, reliable guide who worked tirelessly on behalf of the Church

       

For the Birds Episode 9: Model Parakeet Parents

We live in an age where people refuse to take responsibility for their own actions but demand apologies and reparations for atrocities they never experienced, from people who never committed them. They like to cancel art, ideas, symbols, language & history they don't agree with - they even cancel names of military bases - and MSM celebrates!

Our newly minted parakeet. Parents are demonstrating to be more responsible than a lot of humans of adult age:

Ocean is responsible for gathering food so he can feed mom as she lays in the nest, taking care of the kids

They both demonstrate situational awareness, whispering when the kids are asleep.

Their normal sleep hours are 10:00 pm to 10:00 am;  during this period, the lights are out & the cage is covered. That changed during the gestation period - wanting to go to bed early, and getting up later.

After the parakids (we think they are two or three) were birn, that changed again. The babies, like their human counterparts are fuzzy abd needy  - they are chirping away prior to 10:00:  Sunny has to leave the nest earlier thsn usual to prepare the bottle for the parakids.

We have not decipherrd baby parakeets' chirping, but seems to go from being hungry, uncomfortable or in pain.  Ocean & Sunny abd Ocean are  taking care of the kids as if they had been born professional parents.



RELATED
https://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2021/11/for-birds-episode-seven-great-get-away.html

The Feast of Saint Stephen, The First Martyr.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr.  Besides honoring St Stephen, this illustrates the importance of Faith & Reason. Shows how the uneducated shame the enlightened while illustrating the Threshold of Belief.  Where   Threshold of belief (TOB)is defined as a level, point, or value above which a person is no longer willing to believe something is true or will take place and below which the person willingly accepts as true

Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.   As they were stoning Stephen, he called out “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ACTS 6:8-10; 7:54-59

By all accounts, Saul of Tarus was a highly educated, enlightened Hebrew: Paul describes himself as a Hebrew, an Israelite, and a descendant of Abraham (2 Corinthians 11:22),  a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5). Saul was born to Jewish parents who possessed Roman citizenship, a coveted privilege that their son would also inherit. Not much different from being born an American Citizens today. Saul began his studies of the Hebrew Scriptures and an in-depth study of the Law in the city of Jerusalem under Rabbi Gamaliel. Saul was likely present at the trial of Stephen, with the trial ending in Stephen becoming the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54–60). Luke tells us that Stephen’s executioners laid their garments at the feet of Saul (Acts 7:58), who was in full approval of the mob’s murderous actions (Acts 8:1). Saul later ravaged the church, entering the homes of believers and committing them to prison. Saul’s anti-Christian zeal motivated him not only to arrest and imprison male Christians (the “ringleaders”) but to lock up female believers as well (Acts 8:3).

While on his way to Damascus to arrest and extradite Christians back to Jerusalem, Saul was confronted by the very One whom he was persecuting (Acts 9:3–9; 22:6–11; 26:12–18). What followed was one of the most dramatic conversions in church history and illustrates the Threshold of Faith:  Once presented with a persuasive argument, Saul of Tarsus became the apostle Paul, an ardent missionary to an unbelieving world and a fine example of faithful service in the face of fierce persecution (Acts 14:19; 16:22–24; 2 Corinthians 11:25–26). Saul’s education, his background as a Pharisee, his Roman citizenship, and his unflagging zeal all contributed to his success as a missionary, once those credentials and traits had been subjugated to the lordship of Christ. Consistent with the Four Candles of Advent:  The four candles of Advent are lit in the weeks leading up to Christmas, often on an Advent wreath. The first is known as the Prophecy Candle. This candle symbolizes hope, as it looks forward to the Messiah’s birth. The second candle is usually lit on the second Sunday of Advent and is called the Bethlehem Candle. This candle symbolizes peace. The third candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent and is known as the Shepherd’s Candle. This candle symbolizes joy and its color is usually pink or rose. The fourth and last candle is lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent and symbolizes love All together, the four candles of Advent represent hope, peace, joy, and love,  the four primary sentiments of not only  the Advent season, but the Universal Church.

David Turner however, in a gross misapplication of the theory of allocation, writing for the Jerusalem Post posits that Anti-Judaism in Christian scripture directly led to the "Jewish Problem: - From anti-Judaism to anti-Semitism to the Holocaust. He attempts to discredit Saint Paul not only by questioning scriptures attributed to him, but also Church Theologians and quoting scriptures such as when the Devil was trying to tempt Jesus after He spent forty days in the desert:  “Whether Paul was responsible for all this anti-Jewish writing is far less important than the use Christian theologians from the late empire to the twentieth century made of this material as an ideological paradigm and an emotional attack of Jews…”  (Robert Michael, 2008, A History of Catholic Antisemitism, p.12) “have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me." (Romans 11:3)  Throughout “Paul’s epistles, both attributed to him and those considered written by others, “the Jews” are described in negative terms. Asked by one of his converts about the demand that males undergo circumcision according to Jewish tradition Paul explodes,   “I wish that the ones who are upsetting you would castrate themselves!” (Galatians 5:12) An inheritance of Western history and culture it would find expression in the twentieth century as the Holocaust, the Final Solution to the Jewish Problem. It was Paul who introduced the charge, Augustine who justified eternal punishment for the Christ-killers” who,  “killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets...They displease God and are hostile to everyone…The wrath of God has come upon them at last.”  Dr. Eisenman emphasizes that nowhere, at least not in Jewish scripture, are Jews accused of having murdered their prophets”

Brings up a question, why is it the Jewish scriptures do not mentioned who killed the Jewish prophets?  Did they all die a natural death? Thomas Reid in 1786 on “Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man” wrote: “In every chain of reasoning, the evidence of the last conclusion can be no greater than that of the weakest link of the chain, whatever may be the strength of the rest.” Or what about Occam's razor (sometimes written as Ockham's razor)? All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;  (2 Timothy 3:16) – Turners premise reads more like Hickam's dictum

Turner's premise is diametrical opposed to what the Universal Church Teaches: Jews are not collectively responsible for Jesus' death But All sinners were the authors of Christ's Passion. "Jesus was handed over according to the definite plan of God" God takes the initiative of universal redeeming love