St. John, whose feast we celebrated yesterday, begins the readings today with the proclamation that God is light, and in him, there is no darkness. Those who repent and receive the forgiveness of Jesus will have communion with each other and walk in the light. The Gospel today, however, is in stark contrast. There, we see the darkness of Herod at its worst. Insecure and power-hungry, he reacts to the news that the wise men tricked him by murdering all the children in Bethlehem under the age of two, hoping that way he might kill the newborn king of the Jews. That is terrible darkness indeed. The Holy Innocents we celebrate today had done nothing to deserve such a fate. This act seems senseless. However, it can remind us of all the people in the world, the voiceless and powerless, who innocently suffer from evil and greed. This feast teaches us that in God’s eyes, no one is unimportant, unnecessary, and no one doesn’t matter. However meaningless their lives and deaths may seem, they shine gloriously in heaven. The honor given to the Holy Innocents reminds us that if we suffer or die for God’s sake, it has value even if we have little or no say in it ourselves. Honoring them also honors the loss of the people these children could have become and their grandchildren. At the same time, we can remember the senseless slaughter of the innocent, often caught in the crossfire of opposing political forces. Let us pray that we may renew our baptismal commitment to die to sin and live in the light of Christ to receive forgiveness and healing.