There is a song titled "The Greatest Love of All" originally sung by George Benson and later covered by Whitney Houston, and part of the words in the song are: "I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride, to make it easier, let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be." These words give us the impression and understanding that children ought to be loved, cared for, and protected. However, this is not always the case. In some countries and in some places, children are being mistreated, abused and even exploited. As Christians, we are often reminded to be child-like, and Jesus often reminds us: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." But are we following what Jesus says? Are we like little children, and also making effort to protect children around us from harm?
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents, where Herod out of his insecurity and insanity, ordered the massacre of infants at Bethlehem. To Herod, these children meant nothing to him, and he chose to eliminate them just because he feared one child, the infant Jesus. Herod was more interested in protecting his power, even to the point of committing murder, even though Jesus is king not of the kind which Herod thought. But Herod could not see that, since he was already consumed and blinded with greed, pride, ego, power and prestige.
Even today, this senseless brutality and exploitation towards children are being committed for political, racial and religious reasons. The Feast of the Holy Innocents remind us that it is our duty to protect
the rights and dignity of children. Just as Mary and Joseph protected Jesus from the evil of Herod, we as Christians are reminded to protect the children from the various forms of evil against them. Are we doing our part, so that the children of our future are secured?
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