14,000 Innocents Murdered in Israel
- From: Sam <sammy@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 16:35:18 GMT
Bishop Nikolai Velimirovch
The Prologue from Ohrid
�© Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese of Western America
December 29
1. The Fourteen Thousand Holy Children of Bethlehem
When the Magi from the east did not return to Jerusalem from Bethlehem
to inform Herod about the newborn King but rather, at the angel's
command, returned to their homeland another way, Herod became as enraged
as a wild beast and ordered all the children two years old and under in
Bethlehem and its surroundings to be killed. This frightening command of
the king was carried out to the letter. His soldiers beheaded some of
the children with swords, smashed others against stones, trampled others
underfoot, and strangled others with their hands. And the cries and
wails of the mothers rose to heaven, Lamentation, and bitter weeping;
Rachel weeping for her children (Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:18), as had
been prophesied. This crime against the multitude of innocent children
was carried out a year after the birth of Christ, at the time when Herod
was seeking to find the Divine Child. He asked Zacharias about his son
John, so that he might kill him, since he naturally thought that John
was the new king. As Zacharias did not turn John over, he was slain in
the Temple by order of Herod. St. Simeon the God-receiver would also
have been murdered soon after the Presentation in the Temple, had he not
already reposed in God. After murdering the children of Bethlehem, Herod
turned against the Jewish elders who had revealed to him where the
Messiah would be born. He then killed Hyrcanes, the high priest, and the
seventy elders of the Sanhedrin. Thus, they who had agreed with Herod
that the new Child-king must be killed came to an evil end. After that,
Herod murdered his brother, sister, wife and three sons. Finally, God's
punishment came to him: he began to tremble, his legs became swollen,
the lower part of his body became putrid, and worms came out of the
sores; his nose became blocked and an unbearable stench emanated from
him. Before his last breath, he remembered that there were many captive
Jews in prison, and he ordered that they all be killed so that they
would not rejoice in his death. Thus, this terrible ruler gave up his
inhuman soul and handed it over to the devil for eternal possession.
2. The Venerable Marcellus
Marcellus was from Apamea in Syria. He was the abbot of the Community of
the Sleepless Ones in Constantinople. He was clairvoyant, and was a
healer and great miracle-worker. He spoke with angels and easily
defeated demons and drove them out. After his death, Marcellus appeared
to St. Lucian, a member of his community, and told Lucian that he had
implored God to take him into the Heavenly Kingdom soon. This holy and
glorious man entered into rest in the year 486.
3. The Venerable Mark the Grave-digger and Theophilus the Weeper
Mark and Theophilus were monks of the Monastery of the Kiev Caves. St.
Mark possessed so much grace that he commanded the dead and they obeyed
him: Mark sent word to inform a dead monk, who had already been washed
and over whom the funeral service had been read, ``Wait until tomorrow,
Brother, for your grave is not yet ready,'' and the monk opened his eyes
and remained alive until the following day. Theophilus wept constantly
for his sins, pouring the tears he shed into a basin. Before his death,
an angel appeared to him and showed him a larger basin filled with
tears. These were Theophilus's tears, which had fallen to the ground, or
had been wiped away with his hand, or had dried on his face. Thus, even
in heaven they know and keep all our tears as well as our sufferings,
labors and sighs for the sake of our salvation. These holy servants of
God rested in the eleventh century and entered the Kingdom of Christ.
HYMN OF PRAISE
The Fourteen Thousand Holy Children of Bethlehem
A voice in Rama was heard, and much weeping,
And sorrowful mothers crying out to God.
In blood lay the slaughtered children,
And, over them, sorrowful mothers lamented.
The city of David, with all the surrounding region, moans;
Heaven was horrified at the misdeed of men;
Heaven and earth were horrified and quaked,
When the screams of the innocent pierced the air.
The blow intended for the Son of God
Fell with its weight on the innocent children,
Upon young and helpless ones of the same age as Christ.
The servants of the wicked king attacked
Where the angels of God sang
And where Christ's shepherds humbly knelt.
There a torrent of blood flowed.
Why? In order that Herod would always be first!
As soon as the Eternal Physician appeared on earth,
The earth revealed its wounds and sins,
Showing how much mankind is infected,
And how necessary healing from heaven is.
Upon the young forerunners of His suffering,
Christ bestowed the eternal joy of Paradise.
--
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