The Holy Innocents
Feast day: December 28
Patron of babies, foundlings, children's choirs
Their story
The Gospel of Matthew tells that after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem looking for the newborn king of the Jews. King Herod, a ruler known for his cruelty and fear of rivals, was deeply troubled. When the wise men returned home another way without reporting back, Herod ordered that all the boys in Bethlehem and the surrounding region who were two years old or younger be killed (Matthew 2:16). Warned by an angel in a dream, Joseph had already taken Mary and the child Jesus and fled to Egypt. Matthew recalls the words of the prophet Jeremiah about Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they were no more. Since the early centuries, the Church has honored these little children as martyrs. They could not yet speak or choose, yet they died in place of Christ, and the Church believes they share in his victory. Their feast, celebrated during the Christmas season, reminds us that the light of Christ came into a world marked by violence, and it invites us to pray for all children who suffer and for the protection of every human life.
A prayer for intercession
Holy Innocents, you gave your lives in place of the Christ Child. Pray for all children who suffer from violence, war, abuse or neglect, and for unborn children. Comfort parents who mourn the loss of a child. Help us to protect and cherish every little one, and to welcome Jesus in the smallest and most vulnerable. Amen.