"We might think about using our voices and choices to increase the flourishing of all God’s beloved creatures, human and non-human."- A Reflection on Holy Innocents' Day

Rev'd Dr Sue Hurrell, who was ordained earlier this year and serves in West Cardiff Ministry Area, reflects on Holy Innocents' Day.

Celebrating Christmas after 25th December is a minority custom these days, with fairy lights starting to disappear on Boxing Day. Feasts commemorating the martyrdom of Stephen and slaughter of innocent babies (today) don’t contribute much to the party atmosphere. But they do illustrate the harsh reality of the world that God emerged into through the power, pain and instincts of a birth canal. We rarely hear of babies being deliberately targeted now, but children still die in large numbers in wars and famines. Humans are great at technological problem-solving, but rubbish at living peaceably alongside one another and sharing. Why do we define our own worth by comparing ourselves with others? Why do we live as though God’s love is a cake to be shared out?

I can’t help thinking about the slaughter of other innocent creatures on this day, including newly-hatched male chickens and newborn calves.

The total weight of farmed mammals is now 15 times that of wild ones, and most are killed well before they reach their prime, let alone their natural lifespans. Most farmed creatures live their short lives in circumstances that do not allow them to flourish. This is not inevitable, but is because of our increasing consumption of cheap meat and fish.

We may have a picture book image of baby Jesus in a stable in our mind’s eye, or a Palestinian version of a Welsh longhouse with animals and humans under the same roof. But either way, animals feature in the story, from the sheep on the hillsides to beasts of burden alongside journeying characters.

Jesus taught compassion for oxen in ditches, and God’s care for sparrows, so perhaps we might think about using our voices and choices to increase the flourishing of all God’s beloved creatures, human and non-human. Maybe by supporting an organisation like Compassion in World Farming or paying more attention to the animal products we consume.

And can we keep some fairy lights up a bit longer, to remind us that Jesus is still with us in dark times?

Until Candlemas maybe…