Feast of The Holy Innocents, Martyrs: Mass, first reading from the First Letter of Saint John 1:5-2:2

God is Light.

5Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.6If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth.^e7But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.^f8If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves,^* and the truth is not in us.^g9If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.^h10If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.ⁱ

* [1:1–4] There is a striking parallel to the prologue of the gospel of John (Jn 1:1–18), but the emphasis here is not on the preexistent Word but rather on the apostles’ witness to the incarnation of life by their experience of the historical Jesus. He is the Word of life (1 Jn 1:1; cf. Jn 1:4), the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible (1 Jn 1:2; cf. Jn 1:14), and was heard, seen, looked upon, and touched by the apostles. The purpose of their teaching is to share that life, called fellowship…with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ, with those who receive their witness (1 Jn 1:3; Jn 1:14, 16).

* [1:5–7] Light is to be understood here as truth and goodness; darkness here is error and depravity (cf. Jn 3:19–21; 17:17; Eph 5:8). To walk in light or darkness is to live according to truth or error, not merely intellectual but moral as well. Fellowship with God and with one another consists in a life according to the truth as found in God and in Christ.

* [1:8–10] Denial of the condition of sin is self-deception and even contradictory of divine revelation; there is also the continual possibility of sin’s recurrence. Forgiveness and deliverance from sin through Christ are assured through acknowledgment of them and repentance.

Christ and His Commandments.

1My children,^* I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.^a2He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.^b

The word of the Lord.

The reading above is taken from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website under Bible.

Below is taken from Magnificat December 2016 – Vol. 18, No. 10

Herod the Great had been elected “King of the Jews” by the Roman senate in 40 B.C. When the Magi told him of the birth of a new King of the Jews, Herod could think of nothing but wiping out the threat to his throne. The Holy Innocents are those children who were brutally murdered by Herod as he sought the Christ child. At his hand, the Church received her first martyrs. Little children, they were innocent of sin. By virtue of their bloody martyrdoms, they attained baptismal innocence, washed clean in the blood of the Lamb(cf. Rv 7:14)(Ex. 1:16, 22)

Today is the 19th anniversary of my brother Kenneth Charles DeFeo passing on from this life to the next. I believe God taking him on this feast day is no coincidence. Kenny was born into this world on 2/25/1960 and born into the life after on Dec. 28, 1997. He was the first born son to my mother and father, Elodia and Robert DeFeo, and my only sibling.

May the Divine assistance always remain with us and may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen!

And may perpetual light shine upon my brother Kenny forever and ever!!!