[Salvation]

In reciting the Christmas story, we don’t usually hear about the Holy Innocents as the Church calls them. These are the children whose lives were unwittingly given to save the Christ Child.

The Bible tells us that when the wise men went to Jerusalem, they inquired about the child who had been born King of the Jews. When Herod heard about this, he summoned them and asked them about this child. He told them that when they found Him, to let him know so that he, too, could go and worship this child. However, when Herod realized that the wise men were not going to return with the news he sought, he plotted to kill Christ. He sent his troops to the town of Bethlehem with orders to murder every male child under the age of two. Herod did not want any competition and he saw the Christ Child as just that. So by having all these children slaughtered, he figured that surely this child would be among them and his problem would be solved. God knew Herod’s mind, however, and forewarned St. Joseph in a dream to take the child and His mother, Mary and escape to Egypt, which they did. Jesus was not among the children killed, but these children lost their lives because of Him, and for that reason, the Church honors them as martyrs.

[Salvation]

The Holy Innocents The feast of the Holy Innocents does not only honor the children who died that day, but all children whose lives have been taken. The feast of the Holy Innocents does primarily concentrate on those who died because of Herod’s jealousy and rage but at the same time, we celebrate the fact that Herod did not succeed in his plan to murder the Christ Child. Prayer: Lord, we pray now for all the little souls whose lives have been aborted because of pride, selfishness or fear. Please dear Lord, we pray for an end to the heinous crime of abortion, especially partial-birth abortion and any method or medication that ends the lives of these innocent children. Please, Father, remove the scales from the eyes of those who do not see that this is murder, and forgive us, Father, for this evil. Amen Go back to the Today's Saint