The Holy Innocents

Saturday, December 28th Readings Reflection: Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the male babies two years old and under whom King Herod cruelly murdered in an attempt to kill the Infant Jesus. In the midst of this Octave of Christmas, when our hearts are filled with joy for the newborn Christ, today’s feast can seem inopportunely placed. Yes, the massacre of the Holy Innocents occurred during Christ’s infancy, but why must we remember this tragic event so close to Christmas?

St. Bernard of Clairvaux answered this question by pointing out the significance of the preceding two feasts in the liturgical calendar. On December 26, we celebrated the Feast of St. Stephen the Protomartyr; on December 27, we celebrated the Feast of St. John the Beloved Disciple. St. Bernard explained, “In Saint Stephen, we have both the act and the desire of Martyrdom; in Saint John, we have but the desire [St. John willingly accepted martyrdom by means of boiling oil, but he miraculously survived]; in the Holy Innocents, we have but the act…. Will anyone doubt whether a crown was given to these innocents?”

Dom Prosper Gueranger wrote that angels witnessed St. John’s martyrdom, but only God Himself saw the martyrdom of the Holy Innocents. In the eyes of those on earth, including their mourning families, these innocent babies were killed out of a senseless act of violence by the Romans. While this is indeed true, we now know the reason behind this violence: King Herod felt threatened by the presence of the Messiah and wanted to kill Him before He could rise to power and usurp Herod’s throne. The people of Bethlehem could not have imagined that these infants were giving their lives for Jesus Christ, which is the definition of a true martyr.

Until the liturgical reforms of 1962, the Church celebrated today’s feast with violet vestments. While red is typically the liturgical colour for the feasts of martyrs, the Church historically chose violet for this day because it is the colour of mourning. Today the Church weeps with Rachel for her children, but at the same time, she reminds her—and us—of the eternal joy to be had on this day.

As Dom Gueranger explained, the Holy Innocents were, in a very literal way, in this world yet not of it. They had not yet reached the age of reason, so they had not committed a single willful sin in their earthly lives. The evils and sorrows of the world had not yet touched them when God took them from this world. As martyrs, they experienced the saving graces of Baptism of Blood, by which their souls received sanctifying grace and the remission of Original Sin at the time of their martyrdoms. Thirty-three earthly years later, when Christ triumphed over death on the Cross and visited the Bosom of Abraham, these Holy Innocents were eagerly awaiting Him and their entrance into His eternal Kingdom.

Today’s feast, though stained red with the blood of an unknown number of innocent martyrs, while darkened with the sorrow of mothers for their deceased children, is a day of hope and even joy with the realization that God permits evil in order to bring from it an even greater good. The greater good that He brought from the massacre of the Holy Innocents is the unknown number of pure saints that He gained for the Kingdom of Heaven. May the Holy Innocents pray for us who are wearied by the evils and sorrows of this world, that our souls may remain pure like theirs and one day join them in worshipping the Infant King in His eternal glory.