Nov 29.pub

1 John 1:5-2:2

Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7CD-8

Matthew 2:13-18

Summary

In this passage the Holy Family flees to Egypt to escape the impending mas-

sacre of the Hebrew boys under 2 years old. The passage alludes to the fore-

telling of this event by the Prophet Isaiah.

Reflection

A wise pastor once challenged their congregation to stop reading scripture

from the perspective of innocence. Why, he proclaimed, do we always iden-

tify with the protagonists in the Bible? What if we were to read scripture

from the perspective of the denying Peter, the betraying Judas, the antago-

nistic Pharisees and Sadducees? How would that effect our engagement with

the sacred texts? I suggest to you this Advent season that we challenge our-

selves to do the

same. What hap-

pens if we read the

Matthean passage

on the Holy Inno-

cents from the per-

spective of Herod?

No romanticization

of the text, just a

visceral reflection

of what would lead

a man to trauma-

tize and assassinate

those most vulner-

able in our midst.

Herod, the Jewish

overseer of the re-

gion of Galilee so

fearful of the com-

ing of the predict-