We read in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Galilee (erroneously referred to in the gospels as “King Herod”), fearing for his throne, ordered the deaths all the male children in the Bethlehem area under the age of two.
Imagination stands as one of the most powerful gifts that God has given human beings.
“The Triumph of the Innocents” reframes the story. Ultimately, Herod lost.
Maybe because I wasn’t raised in the church, I’ve spent half my life trying to figure out how to observe Advent and Christmas.
As we remember the Holy Innocents killed by Herod, we recognize the innocent victims of violence today.
