In addition to today being the #feastday of the Holy Family, today is also the feast of the Holy Innocents. These were the baby boys of Bethlehem whose death was ordered by King Herod in an attempt to murder the Baby Jesus. Meanwhile the Holy Family, being warned in a dream, escaped to Egypt to save Jesus life, a journey undoubtedly begun in sorrow. As recounted in Matthews Gospel 2:16-18, the children were slaughtered who were born within two years following the apparition of the Star of Bethlehem to the Three Wise Men. The Church venerates these children as martyrs, though it is uncertain how many baby boys were killed, whether a small number, or in the tens of thousands. The Latin Church instituted the feast of the Holy Innocents in the fifth century, and the church of St. Pauls Outside the Walls in Rome is believed to possess the bodies of several of the Holy Innocents. Though they could not speak, they bore witness to Christ and were His very first martyrs, dying in His stead (St. Stephen being the first martyr of the Church age). Though this feast day recounts an evil act, the children became saints of God and venerated by the whole Church; they ultimately triumphed over evil.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 18:00:00 +0000
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