Today the Church celebrates the memory of the slaughter of the Holy Innocents, those children killed in a torrent of rage unleashed by the jealousy and insecurity of a proud king. Comedians and sit-coms poke fun at the fact that most adults, even the most macho or emotionally cool, take on a different persona in the presence of a baby. Wide eyes, funny faces, and even funnier noises and exaggerated words - few can resist acting differently when confronted by the innocence of a baby.

Who would want to harm a baby? Modern-day Herods exist. A regulatory mandate from the nation's capitol led to the slaughter of the Innocents two millennia ago. Do we live in more enlightened, more tolerant, times? Look at the regulatory mandates coming from our nation's capitol and judge for yourself. Tying foreign aid to mandatory abortion services and mandatory contraception? Universal health care with no protection of conscience for employers or health care providers who object to mandated abortion services or abortifacient birth control? The pre-born Innocents suffer by decree of the ruler.

God have mercy on the nation that kills its own pre-born children, and pays other nations to do so as condition for humanitarian aid.

12/28/11

Msgr. William J. King