What Empires Do (A Holy Innocents Day Thought)

Unless I’m reading my calendar wrong, today is the most meaningful day in the liturgical year for me; Holy Innocents Day. And never has the traditional lectionary selections for this day been more prescient.

First is Jeremiah 31:15-17…..

15 Thus says the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah,
   lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
   she refuses to be comforted for her children,
   because they are no more.
16 Thus says the Lord:
Keep your voice from weeping,
   and your eyes from tears;
   they shall come back from the land of the enemy;
17 there is hope for your future, says the Lord:
   your children shall come back to their own country.

Then there’s Matthew 2:13-18…..


18 ‘A voice was heard in Ramah,
   wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;

Now, I normally don’t say “X” is about exactly “Z” when it comes to the Bible, but this Holy Innocents Day the lectionary passages are striking.

Trump is Herod. And the American Empire–like the Roman Empire–in the hands of a madman will slaughter all the marginalized innocents in its (majority’s) path. Just this month there have been two refugee children, Jakelin Caal (age 7) and Felipe Alonzo (age 8), have been allowed to die while in the hands of agents of the Empire.

But lest we get comfortable thinking that this will change once the Trump madness is over, it won’t. Because empires, no matter who is at the top, will work to destroy its marginalized innocents. If you don’t believe that, just remember that Flint, Michigan still doesn’t have clean water 5 years and many lead poisoned children later. (and that’s just one example)

Empires are evil friends. That’s why the Prophets spent so much time talking about how Israel should treat its own people, and how they transgressed.

So, the next time the American Empire does something (like continue to support the starvation and slaughter of Yemenese children), remember Herod. The reason he ordered the slaughter of the innocents was because he was scared and wanted to stay in power.




When have African Americans had unfettered access to the vote?

