Most of us would readily admit that we don’t like King Herod. The reason for that is quite simple. We don’t like people who abuse or kill children. We can easily hate predators who harm children. We also dislike parents who, for whatever reason, harm their own children.. After all, adults are supposed to protect and care for children. King Herod is easy to hate because he failed to protect and care for his people. We can deal with the fact that this King killed members of his own family, including his wife, because of political intrigue. Lots of rulers did those kinds of things. But a king is supposed to protect and defend the people of the Kingdom. A sovereign, after all, is supposed to be a shepherd of sorts for the people entrusted to his or her care. King Herod was a child-killer. For me, he falls off the humanity chart. He is in the company of Hitler and Stalin and other murderous rulers of history. He was more interested in protecting his own power and his terrible insecurity and fear and selfishness led him to kill the most defenseless members of his kingdom. When confronted with the news of the birth of a future king, he could have welcomed that news. Instead, he feared it and became enraged at the thought that some child might threaten his well-being.
As distasteful as King Herod is to us, he is part of the Christmas story. Herod represents a world that was not eager to accept the kingship of Christ. His presence tells us that Jesus was born into a world that was oppressive and fearful. Roman domination was one thing; a crazed king is quite another. So, Jesus and his family become refugees. They flee their country in order to escape a madman.
As incredulous and shocking as this story seems, it is not an unfamiliar story. We are well aware of what is happening in our world. We understand refugees. How many men, women and children have come to this country with stories of fear and repression? First, from England and Ireland. Then from Eastern Europe and Cuba. From Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, El Salvador, Uganda, Sudan, Somalia. Two million have left their country fleeing the violence in Iraq. Like Jesus, countless people have become refugees—unwelcomed in their own country because of their religious beliefs, ethnicity, politics or just because they are seen as a threat to the establishment.
In the midst of all this we remember that God acted to save his refugee son. God’s goodness was present to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Herod killed many children but his hatred did not touch Jesus. The angel warned Joseph and he listened. He took his wife and child and probably his extended family and they departed for Egypt. Then, when the coast was clear, the angel told Joseph he could return to his home.
Yet, when Jesus was confronted with the threat of evil later in his life, he did not flee. Instead he prayed fervently to God in the Garden of Gethsemane asking that the cup might pass him by. But he was willing to embrace the danger. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus faced the same things as we face. He faced the same struggle with the power of sin. He was held in slavery by the fear of death. Even so, Jesus did not run. He chose not to seek refuge from those who wanted to take his life. Instead, he placed himself into the hands of his enemies and he endured suffering and death. In turn, God exalted him and raised him from death to new life so that Jesus is now our sovereign who promises to lead us from fear of death into the glory of new life.
Today, we might ask the question, “where is God when our little ones are facing abuse, threats, abandonment and even death?” If God came to the rescue of his own infant son by bringing him to a place of safety, why doesn’t God do the same for the many children of the world who are looking for safety and refuge today? It’s a difficult question and we can spend a lot of time trying to discern an answer.
The answer is given to us in the person of Jesus. In the Incarnation, we learn about a God who takes up residence in a world filled with King Herods and refugees. The presence of God in our world tells us that there is goodness here with us. Even when things seem dark and dreary, God is present. And God’s presence in and through his Son and through people of faith assures us that no evil is too great to overcome the light. That is why we see Jesus, in his darkest moments, still trusting in the goodness of God and the smallness of evil. Even on the cross, Jesus could place himself in God’s hands.
The belief in and assurance of God’s presence in our world does not mean that we simply sit back and wait for God to act. God acts through us. Therefore, we do not give in to evil. If all we do is admit that there is evil in the world and then go about our own business ignoring the plight of others, then we have already given in to that evil. But there are things that people of faith can and should do.
As followers of Christ, we have the power and the authority to challenge evil. We are to speak out against abusive governments and authoritarian leaders who take advantage of the weakest of their own society. We advocate on behalf of the powerless who have little voice and we come to the rescue of those who are driven from their homes for lack of safety, lack of food, lack of work. As followers of the light of Christ, we take an active part in welcoming those who are in danger’s way and we use our resources to provide a safe haven for them. We even do what we can to influence our leaders to enact policies that are favorable to refugees and those who are seeking a safe haven. We are to do what God once did for his own Son. In doing this, we can reveal the Herods of the world to be little people with limited power. We show the world that the darkness is never so dark that the light can’t be seen.
As people of faith, we also pray. We pray that our compassionate God protect the innocents of the world. We pray that God’s justice vindicate those who are oppressed. We pray that dictators and those who abuse their power might have a change of heart.
On this Feast of the Holy Family, let us commit ourselves to working for a truly holy human family. We ought to be a family that cares for its own, especially the weaker members of our family. That means being willing to open our arms and our doors to take in refugees like Jesus, Mary and Joseph who were fleeing the darkness. By doing this we let the light of Christ shine brightly upon the world.