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Herod and Abortion
Homily St. Joseph Parish, Detroit
Today we read not only about the manifestation of the child Jesus to Israel, but of the contrast between the wrath of Herod and the veneration of the Magi from the East. It is the Epiphany of the Lord, and the Son of God became a child, the Word was made flesh. What is it in our today’s civilization, that moves so many to play the role of Herod, to do everything in their power to destroy the child? Herod wanted to destroy God, and killed those boys in the surrounds of Bethlehem 2 years of age and lower. Today’s equivalent of Herod wants to destroy God, and kills babies by the millions. Herod was a bloodthirsty and wicked man, yet today’s abortionists kill more babies in a week than Herod did in his entire lifetime. By meditating, therefore, on the hatred of the child born by Herod, let us shed light on today’s problems, to take awareness of them in the light of the Gospel, and to respond to them fully embracing the Gospel of life. The first thing we read about Herod in today’s Gospel, is that he was troubled by the Child, and “all Jerusalem” with him (cf. Mt 2:1-13). And today, children are still not loved, and cause the hearts of selfish men to be troubled. So many hate children because they cost money, they deprive me of material goods and some degree of financial power, they require time and attention, they interrupt our sleep and are an inconvenience. When a person is an adult, one would hope that they have acquired that minimum degree of victory over their own self love that they can love others; and this we call “maturity.” Yet so many adults are immature, and think only about themselves and their own leisure and comfort and vanity and power. So it is, they never grow up, and they are childish; so they are like the child, whom they strive to destroy especially through child abuse, contraception and abortion. Next, we see Herod consulting the scientist of the day, to learn where the Messiah was to be born, not to adore him, but to destroy him. And this reminds us of the huge amounts of money and efforts poured into scientific research to support abortion. And if a woman wants an abortion, even our tax dollars, in some cases, will pay for it. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested in the abortive embryonic stem cell research programs, not to be confused with the morally acceptable and infinitely more fruitful adult stem cell research projects. Piles of money go to in vitro fertilization, yet almost none goes to initiatives which exist to end abortion, support troubled marriages, and help both couples and babies. And so we today, like Herod, dedicate ourselves to research, but only in order to be able to destroy life more efficiently. Next, Herod lied about loving the child, for he asked the Kings to report where the Messiah was to be found, so he could go and adore him, when he really wanted to kill him. And this is like those alive today who say they love children on the one hand, and yet support abortion on the other. We find institutions which provide local and international news pushing the abortion issue, but showing tenderness in articles about children and animals, and this is hypocrisy. A group called Advocates for Youth funds abortions, and this is abominable hypocrisy, for one cannot truly be an advocate for youth and for abortion at the same time. The March of Dimes claims to make efforts to help children, and yet they say they are “neutral” on the abortion issue, and in some ways have shown their tacit support of abortion. The Gates Foundation claims to want to help all people, claiming all are equal, yet abundantly support pro-abortion groups with donations, such as Planned Parenthood, Family Care International (another hypocritical institution for its support of abortion), and other such pro-abortion groups. Like Herod, these are liars who say lies, and they will answer to God for their deeds. They hate the child, the child is a threat to their comfort and pride, and they use all of their power to kill the child, in proportions vastly beyond even the Holocaust of the Jews in Hitler’s death camps, or the extermination of the Cambodians by Pol Pot, or the Gulags of the infamous Joseph Stalin, a man who repudiated his own last name out of hatred for his father. The last step in the story, is that Herod vented his hatred for the child by bloodshed. And how does the world today respond to the unwanted child? Abortion is the number one response. Just under one and a half million abortions happen every year in America alone, perhaps 44m or so since Roe v. Wade in 1972. The Alan Guttmacher Institute reports that 22 million legal abortions were reported in 1987. At that rate, in four years, we men of today kill more people than died in the Black Plague of 1348, at least by estimated numbers. The Black Plague crippled the world worse than anything else, besides abortion, in the recorded history of humanity. Besides the civilizational collapse it brought upon the world, and not only Europe, but Hillaire Belloc claims it was the single most influential evil which led to the Protestant Revolt or Reformation. The death of perhaps 75m people was an evil for Church and for civil society. Why would we think abortion would not have a similar effect? If the oriental rat flea caused the Black Plague, then the contemporary abortionist plays the role of the oriental rat flea in our world. Abortion is a civilizational catastrophe and an evil that cries to God for justice, and it must come to an end! So, how are we to behave before the Herods of our time? Well, first we must not give political power to those persons who promise to kill our babies. The Magi from the East kept clear of Herod on the way back home; let us keep clear of the Herods of our day. Furthermore, we need to do more prayer and penance to bring an end to abortion. Next, support your favorite pro-life group with generosity, they need your financial assistance. Finally, here in this parish, a few of you have shown interest in founding a pro-life group or committee, and we have already had the first brainstorming meetings; consider joining this group, and helping defend life. For in this parish, we love the child, we support mothers, we love couples and are faithful servants of the Gospel of life. Amen.
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