emergency call
"A cry was heard at Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation: Rachel bewailing her children; no comfort for her, since they are no more." —Matthew 2:18
At the first Christmas, many innocent children were massacred by Herod. At this Christmas, the Herods of our time still convulse at the reality of God becoming man. They express their repulsion by killing children in and out of the womb through abortion, starvation, and abuse.
For every Herod, there is a Joseph. For every murderer, there is a disciple of Jesus, who will be told by the Lord how to save the lives of children. The Lord told Joseph to "take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt" (Mt 2:13). What is He telling you? You're not responsible to do everything, but you can do something. What is the Lord saying?
Can He talk to you? Are you open to surprises, sacrifices, corrections, or challenges? Are there things you refuse to hear, defenses you won't let down, sacrifices you won't make, and sin you won't admit? The first question is not: "What am I hearing?" but "What am I willing to hear?" The Lord can save lives through you if you let Him talk to you.
Prayer: Father, may I not stand idly by when people are dying (Lv 19:16).
Promise: "If anyone should sin, we have, in the presence of the Father, Jesus Christ, an Intercessor Who is just. He is an Offering for our sins, and not for our sins only, but for those of the whole world." —1 Jn 2:1-2
Praise: "The Holy Innocents gave witness not by words but by their life's blood" (Liturgy of the Hours).
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, July 21, 1999
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 1999