Prayers at Christmas

IN the lead up to Christmas there is much celebration, giving and receiving of gifts, catching up with friends and a general mood of goodwill.

However, there is a dark side. The gospels tell us that Mary and Joseph were warned not to return to Bethlehem after the birth of Jesus because King Herod was seeking to kill the child.

“Once Herod realised that he had been deceived by the astrologers, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys two years old and under in Bethlehem and its environs, making his calculations on the basis of the date he had learned from the astrologers.” (Matt. Ch2, v16). In the Christian calendar December 28 is recognised as the Feast of the Holy Innocents where we honour the victims of the massacre.

At Christmas we should also pray for the Herods of this world so that they will amend their lives. After all, Christ came into this world to redeem all of us by His death and suffering but it is our choice whether we accept or reject His offer. Garry O’Brien, Mt Sheridan PRIVACY POLICY: Our privacy policy www.apnarm.com.au/privacy includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (including to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature.