In the days after Christmas, while most people are recovering from the indulgence of Christmas Day or deeply immersed in the liturgy of the Boxing Day Test, the Church calendar commemorates the Holy Innocents, the children killed by Herod in a bid to maintain his grip on power. This is a part of the Christmas story which gets little attention in churches, yet it forms a major part of the biblical birth narrative. It is a day when we remember children and other innocent people killed by today’s Herods, who consider such innocents to be acceptable collateral damage in their quest for power and security. Children are still the most deeply affected by wars around the globe – 60% of Afghans are under the age of 21. 90% of those killed in wars now are civilians. (Simon Moyle)
In Melbourne there is going to be a peace procession from Victoria Barracks in Melbourne to Defence Plaza beginningat 1pm with prayers at Victoria Barracks on St Kilda Road, and process to Defence Plaza, 661 Bourke St. Melbourne, for further prayer and reflection. For details see: Simon Moyle
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In one of those "graced" moments of life, I literally bumped into Simon and the group in prayer as I walked up Bourke Street from the Southern Cross station.
I stood with them outside the Defense Plaza for the final prayer. The comfort and joy of my family gathering for Christmas was blessed in a moment of solidarity with the grief and anguish of my extended human family struggling with the experience of war and poverty.
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