The Heroic Witness of the Holy Innocents
December 28th is the Feast of the Holy Innocent Martyrs, who, without knowing, died at the hands of Herod who wanted to kill the Christ child at all costs.
St Augustine was really touched by this powerful story, and here we offer some of his profound reflections concerning this feast from a homily he preached to his congregation. He dubbed these little victims as infant martyr flowers. Unbeknownst to them, they there were the first martyrs of the faith: Today, dearest brethren, we celebrate the birthday of those children who were slaughtered, as the Gospel tells us, by that exceedingly cruel king, Herod. Let the earth, therefore, rejoice and the Church exult — she, the fruitful mother of so many heavenly champions and of such glorious virtues. Never, in fact, would that impious tyrant have been able to benefit these children by the sweetest kindness as much as he has done by his hatred. For as today’s feast reveals, in the measure with which malice in all its fury was poured out upon the holy children, did heaven’s blessing stream down upon them.
Blessed are you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah! You suffered the inhumanity of King Herod in the murder of your babes, and thereby have become worthy to offer to the Lord a pure host of infants. In full right do we celebrate the heavenly birthday of these children whom the world caused to be born unto an eternally blessed life rather than that from their mothers’ womb, for they attained the grace of everlasting life before the enjoyment of the present. The precious death of any martyr deserves high praise because of his heroic confession; the death of these children is precious in the sight of God because of the beatitude they gained so quickly. For already at the beginning of their lives they pass on. The end of the present life is for them the beginning of glory. These then, whom Herod’s cruelty tore as sucklings from their mothers’ bosom, are justly hailed as ‘infant martyr flowers’ — they were the Church’s first blossoms, matured by the frost of persecution during the cold winter of unbelief.
Hence, for St Augustine, these infant martyr flowers are precious because they are heavenly champions filled with glorious virtues, suffering at the hands of a heinous king. They attained the heavenly beatitude so swiftly, called infant martyr flowers because they are the first fruits of the Church who matures in the harshest winter of cold unbelief.
Today let us also think about the maltreatment of so many children, born and neglected. But obviously our mind and heart go for the defenceless unborn who many Herods of today are practically massacring them without mercy by the grave abominable killing of abortion. Pope St John Paul II used to say:
The promotion of the culture of life should be the highest priority in our societies…If the right to life is not defended decisively as a condition for all other rights of the person, all other references to human rights remain deceitful and illusory. Furthermore, the same Pope gives us a clear cut mission: You are called to stand up for life! To respect and defend the mystery of life always and everywhere, including the lives of unborn babies, giving real help and encouragement to mothers in difficult situations. You are called to work and pray against abortion.
Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis did not mince their words to expose the cruelty and inhumanity of the grave sin of abortion. Pope Benedict XVI described abortion as a sign of the eclipse of the meaning of life, and he called on doctors and other health professionals, and the whole of society: Against a cultural background characterized by the eclipse of the sense of life, in which the common perception of the moral gravity of abortion and of other kinds of attacks on human life, special fortitude is demanded of doctors so that they may continue to assert that abortion resolves nothing but kills the child, destroys the woman and blinds the conscience of the child’s father, all too often ruining family life. This duty, however, does not only concern the medical profession and health–care workers. The whole of society must defend the right to life of the child conceived and the true good of the woman who will never, in any circumstance, be able to find fulfilment in the decision of abortion.
Finally, Pope Francis referred to the fact that in the face of every human being, particularly the most fragile and defenceless, is reflected the face of Jesus Christ. Of particular interest is the General Audience on the Fifth Commandment about which he spoke about on 10 October 2018. He said: A contradictory approach even permits the termination of human life in the maternal womb, in the name of safeguarding other rights. But how can an action that ends an innocent and defenceless life in its blossoming stage be therapeutic, civilized or simply human? I ask you: is it right to ‘do away with’ a human life in order to solve a problem? Is it right to hire a hit man in order to solve a problem? One cannot. It is not right to ‘do away with’ a human being, however small, in order to solve a problem. It is like hiring a hit man to solve a problem.
In her Diary entry 1276, St Faustina earnestly interceded for these innocent victims who slaughtered without mercy. She wrote: At eight o’clock, I was seized with such violent pains that I had to go to bed at once. I was convulsed with pain for three hours; that is, until eleven o’clock at night. At times, the pains that caused me to lose consciousness. “Jesus had me realize that in this way, I took part in His Agony in the garden, and that He Himself allowed these sufferings in order to offer reparation to God for the souls murdered in the wombs of mothers.” If only I could save even one soul from murder by means of these sufferings.
Let us intercede for the victims, their mothers and fathers and all the people involved in the murder of abortion. May the Lord convert all those involved in this silent mass murder.
Holy Innocents, you died before you were old enough to know what life means, pray for all children who die young that God may gather them into His loving arms.
Holy Innocents, you were killed because one man was filled with hatred, pray for those who hate that God may touch their hearts and fill them with love.
Holy Innocents, you experienced a violent death, pray for all who are affected by violence that they may find peace and love.
Holy Innocents, your parents grieved for you with deep and lasting sorrow, pray for all parents who have lost young children that God may wrap a warm blanket of comfort around them.
Holy Innocents, those around you certainly felt helpless to prevent your deaths, pray for all who feel helpless in their circumstances that they may cling to God for courage and hope.
Holy Innocents, you who are now in Heaven, pray for all of us, that one day we may join you there to bask in God’s love forever. Amen.
We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of Your mercy all innocent victims; and by Your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish Your rule of justice, love and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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