The Holy Innocents, poor as Christ is poor
Not far from Stephen, the first martyr, stand the “flores martyrum”, the tender buds that were broken before they had ripened to the act of sacrifice. There is a pious belief that the grace of natural maturity came to the innocent children beforehand and gave them an understanding of what was happening to them so they could give themselves freely and thus be ensured martyrdom. Even so, they do not resemble the valiant confessor who heroically took on the cause of Christ. In their defenseless surrender, they are much more like lambs led to the slaughter (Is 53:7; Acts 8:32).
So they are the example of uttermost poverty. They have no other goods than their lives. And now even that is taken from them, and they allow it to happen without resistance. They surround the manger to show us what kind of myrrh we are to bring to the Divine Child: those who want to belong entirely to him must deliver themselves to him in complete self-renunciation; they must surrender to the divine decision like these children.
-Saint Padre Pio