Feast Day: December 28
The Holy Innocents are remembered as the young boys of Bethlehem who were slaughtered by the order of King Herod in his attempt to kill the Christ Child. Their martyrdom is recounted in the Gospel of Matthew (2:16-18) and has been venerated by the Church as a poignant testimony to the truth of Christ’s coming. These innocent children, though unaware of their sacrifice, are honored as the first martyrs for Christ, shedding their blood in His stead.
Scriptural Account
The account of the Holy Innocents is directly tied to the story of the Magi. After the wise men had come to worship the newborn King, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, who had deceitfully sought to discover the location of Jesus. Realizing he had been outwitted, Herod, in a rage, ordered the massacre of all male children in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under. This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
(Matthew 2:18; Jeremiah 31:15)
Spiritual Significance
The Holy Innocents are unique among the Church’s martyrs in that they bore witness to Christ not by their conscious faith but by their innocent deaths. St. Augustine referred to them as “buds, killed by the frost of persecution at the moment when they were opening,” offering their lives in testimony to Christ even before they could speak.
Their martyrdom reminds the faithful of the cost of Christ’s coming into the world. Jesus was born into a world of sin and hostility, and the death of the Innocents prefigures the rejection and suffering that He Himself would endure.
Liturgical Observance
The Feast of the Holy Innocents is celebrated during the Octave of Christmas, emphasizing their connection to the Nativity. The Church honors them with joy and solemnity, seeing in their deaths a reflection of the innocence and purity that Christ came to redeem. The traditional liturgical color for the day is red, symbolizing martyrdom.
In many cultures, this feast is marked by special customs and prayers for children, recognizing their innocence and the sanctity of life.
Reflection and Devotion
- Meditation: Reflect on the mystery of innocent suffering and the ways in which the Holy Innocents point to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.
- Prayer:
O God, whose praise the martyred Innocents proclaimed not by speaking but by dying, grant, we pray, that the faith in You which we confess with our lips may also speak through our manner of life.
(Collect from the Mass of the Holy Innocents) - Spiritual Exercise: Consider offering prayers for the protection of children, particularly those who are vulnerable or suffering in the modern world.
The Holy Innocents teach us that even the smallest and seemingly insignificant lives are of infinite value in the eyes of God, and their feast is a call to cherish and defend the dignity of every human life.