kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
After two years of COVID-19 precautions curtailing the blessing of children’s Christmas gifts at the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Father Jayson Grell gleefully did this for young members of his congregation yesterday.
He also called on parents and guardians to always ensure they protect children and guard them from harm. Many children and their parents/guardians were in the congregation at the Pro-Cathedral at our Lady of Perpetual Help along Harris Promenade, San Fernando, for the annual remembrance of the massacre of young children in Bethlehem. This was when King Herod sought to kill Jesus, who he feared would take over his throne.
During mass, Grell blessed the toys and prayed for the children’s continued well-being.
“Indeed, the children are God’s gift to us so that we can prepare a future for them. What an awesome responsibility indeed for parents and guardians. My friends, to harm children, or to even kill them, is really unthinkable. It is something very wicked.
“That is what King Herod did to the infant kids of the Jews. King Herod simply could not accept the birth of Jesus. Of course, we are told that he went to the extent,” Fr Grell said.
He said Herod did not realise that he was actually preparing a death sentence for himself, as history shows his eventual demise.
Fr Grell said the church honours babies and infant because Herod’s action was direct violence and hostile aggression toward innocent and helpless children. He called on the congregation to always protect the unborn, the babies and all children and respect their dignity.
“They are innocent and helpless against any act of aggression against them, and more so, my friends, children are God’s gifts to each one of us. When we care for them and nurture them with love and faith, they will be God’s blessings to each one of us.”
He reminded the congregation that the ultimate reason Christians live is to serve and glorify God. He said they should not live for personal ambitions, as worldly glory and power do not last forever, as King Herod found.
After Herod died, his Kingdom quickly fell apart and divided, and the Romans took it over.
In 2020, the church asked parents/guardians not to take toys to church for fear of COVID-19 transmission, while attendance at the usually well-attended occasion dropped drastically as well. It continued in 2021, and although yesterday’s mass schedule for the Christmas season requested that children not bring their gifts, Grell let the children show their toys and boys, even letting a few demonstrate their actions before the congregation. Grell recalled that when he was a child, children would bring their toys to church and play with them on the aisles.
However, not all priests bless toys on the day.
Vicar General Fr Martin Sirju does not uphold the tradition and previously asked parents/guardians not to bring toys to church. Instead, he would anoint children’s foreheads with anointing oil and pray for each of them. In 2016, Sirju said there was nothing wrong with blessing the toys. However, he said he researched the matter and did not see the significance of it, except that it was a tradition in T&T. In 2019, he reaffirmed his stance, saying he did not know when or where the custom started, but reaffirmed blessing toys had nothing to do with the feast.
