Rachel weeping.

St. Matthew the Evangelist quotes Jeremiah the prophet while detailing the massacre of holy Infants by King Herod. "Thus says the Lord: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping,

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more.”"(St. Matthew 2:18 and Jeremiah 31:15; NKJV). In the book of Genesis, we read about Rachel dying after she had given birth to Benjamin, and Jacob burying her on the way to Bethlehem:

"And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.” And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)." (Genesis 35:16-19; NKJV).

The matriarch was buried on a wayside towards Bethlehem, and the prophet Jeremiah prophesied about Rachel crying for the Israelites, as a beloved mother would cry for her children when they would be driven from their homes and forced into exile in Babylon. A lovely Jewish tradition states that when Joseph was sold by his brothers and taken by his captors to Egypt, they happened to pass by Rachel's tomb where Joseph cried bitterly. It is then he heard his mother's comforting voice assuring him that the Lord will be with him all through.

Hundreds of years after Rachel completed her earthly course, prophet Jeremiah talked of her weeping for Israelites and St. Matthew talks of the matriarch's sorrow as she witnesses the great lamentation of the Hebrew women whose little children were slaughtered by the tyrant.

Herein the Holy Scripture attest to the awareness of our departed ones regarding us. The departed patriarchs and matriarchs, holy fathers and mothers are interceding for us. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ said: "For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.” (St. Luke 20:38; NKJV).

In the words of prophet Jeremiah, the Lord comforts (the departed) Rachel upon hearing her cries for the Israelites:

"Thus says the Lord:

“Refrain your voice from weeping,

And your eyes from tears;

For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord,

And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

There is hope in your future, says the Lord,

That your children shall come back to their own border." (Jeremiah 31:16-17; NKJV).

May the prayers and intercession of the holy mother Rachel be a source of comfort and refuge to all especially for the children whose mothers have departed from earthly life, women facing complicated pregnancies and those who suffered miscarriages, and for those couples having difficulty in conceiving.

In Christ,

Rincy

Who trespassed my garden?

 Reflection on the feast commemorating the slaughter of the infants by King Herod (December 27).

"The slayers of Bethlehem mowed down the tender flowers that among them — should perish the tender seedling, wherein was hidden the Bread of life….The murderers went into a paradise, full of tender fruits:— they shook off the flowers from the bough, blossoms and buds they destroyed — unblemished oblations he offered, the persecutor unwittingly.— To him woe, but to them blessing! Bethlehem was first to give, virgin fruits to the Holy One."-St Ephraim the Syrian (Hymns on the Nativity, NPNF Vol. 13)

Flavius Josephus recounts the end days of the Herod (in Book XVII-Antiquities of the Jews) as being agonizing beyond measure. Herod’s colon gave excruciating pain, his intestines were laden with ulcers and he had an awful appetite. Some kind of secretion was noted in his feet and belly. His private parts became rotten and produced worms. His breath produced great stench and he had difficulty in breathing while sitting upright. He had also convulsions in all parts of his body: which increased his strength to an insufferable degree. The fortune tellers shared that God inflicted this punishment on the king on account of his great impiety.

While listing down the misdeeds of Herod, Josephus does not mention about massacre of the holy infants in Bethlehem that happened under the king’s directive. It may be perhaps that the incident occurred in a tiny rural area and did not get the importance of a headline news in the Roman empire. Eusebius, in Church History-Book I, mentions that the pitiable situation of Herod immediately came to pass after he ordered the killing of infants in his bid to kill the Infant Christ.

Indeed, the cries of the little children and their mothers rattled the heavens (and does so even today).

The technological era offers a plethora of opportunities to overstep the marital boundaries and the definition of what constitutes infidelity is ever expanding. A huge majority of people live this dual life. One personality is the public image- the family-oriented avatar and the other personality lies in a secret dark world- the tech avatar for their extramarital fun. This is the reality of our society that is not talked about often.

In all this mess, a child is the oft forgotten entity. Unlike what people assume, children are acutely aware when an intruder trespasses their garden of familial ties. Despite the conscience warning against the forbidden bonds, if one continues the illicit path, it implies their acceptance to hurt these innocent ones. Herod is not merely a monstrous historical personality. Herod is a reality- each one of those is a herod who knowingly hurts an innocent soul.

Our Lord warns-“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (St Matthew 18:10)

The guardian angels of these little children are their ever-present intercessors before the Father.

If you are the ‘other woman/man’, you clearly don’t want a child to rattle the heavens against you. Can you withstand the dreadful encounter of the child’s guardian angel demanding an answer- “why did you trespass the child’s garden”?  If not, then repent.

If you have been the unfaithful spouse/parent, can you withstand the dreadful encounter of your child’s guardian angel demanding an answer- “who allowed the trespasser in this garden”? If not, then repent.

May the prayers and intercessions of the holy innocents give a childlike innocence and simplicity to the blemished souls.

In Christ,

Rincy