Feast Day of Holy Innocents December 28th

[contemplative]

Feast of the Holy Innocents

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December 28

The account of the martyrdom of these children is given in the gospel of today. The Church

justly honors them as martyrs, since they confessed Christ, if not by the mouth, yet by their death, which they suffered by reason of Herod’s hatred against Christ.

The Introit of the Mass reads: “Out of the mouth of infants and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise, because of Thy enemies, O Lord. O Lord, how admirable is Thy name in the whole earth.” Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Prayer

O God, Whose praise the martyred innocents confessed on this day - not by speaking, but by dying - mortify in us all the evils of vices, that our life also may confess by actions Thy faith, which our tongue proclaims. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc

Source

…and still the devil seeks to kill the christ in all the young innocent…

 

[Eileen_T]

As far as I can recall, Bethlehem is not mentioned again in the Gospels, after the Nativity narratives in Matthew 2 & Luke 2, except for a brief mention in John 7:42 “Doth not the scripture say: That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was?”.

The wise men told Herod that the Child they sought would be born in Bethlehem. We are not told how long it was that they had followed the star, nor how long a time it was before Herod realised they weren’t going to return and report to him.

The only clue is that Herod ordered the death of all “the men children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.”

The people of Bethlehem and “all the borders thereof” would not have rejoiced for long in the birth of Jesus.

I wonder how many of the shepherds who came to worship Him that night had sons, grandsons, nephews and cousins who were numbered among the slaughter of the Holy Innocents.

Hardly a family wouldn’t have been affected, much like abortion today.

Another thought that comes to mind is that Joseph went to Bethlehem, as a descendent of David, for the purpose of the census. Mary was also of David’s royal line. That means that many/most of the people living there were relatives.

Many of the Holy Innocents had to have been related to Jesus through Mary. In the way that manyof the aborted infants today are brothers and sisters of Jesus in a very real way because their mothers and fathers are baptised Christians.

Whatever you do unto one of these, the least of My brethren, you do unto Me.

 

[CRW]

As far as I can recall, Bethlehem is not mentioned again in the Gospels, after the Nativity narratives in Matthew 2 & Luke 2, except for a brief mention in John 7:42 “Doth not the scripture say: That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was?”.

The wise men told Herod that the Child they sought would be born in Bethlehem. We are not told how long it was that they had followed the star, nor how long a time it was before Herod realised they weren’t going to return and report to him.

The only clue is that Herod ordered the death of all “the men children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.”

The people of Bethlehem and “all the borders thereof” would not have rejoiced for long in the birth of Jesus.

I wonder how many of the shepherds who came to worship Him that night had sons, grandsons, nephews and cousins who were numbered among the slaughter of the Holy Innocents.

Hardly a family wouldn’t have been affected, much like abortion today.

Another thought that comes to mind is that Joseph went to Bethlehem, as a descendent of David, for the purpose of the census. Mary was also of David’s royal line. That means that many/most of the people living there were relatives.

Many of the Holy Innocents had to have been related to Jesus through Mary. In the way that manyof the aborted infants today are brothers and sisters of Jesus in a very real way because their mothers and fathers are baptised Christians.

Whatever you do unto one of these, the least of My brethren, you do unto Me.

It is unique that you mention Herod, the killing of the Holy Innocents and abortion, as it was the homily message today on EWTN Mass. Abortion and birth control has killed millions more then King Herod, but that does not register in todays society. Herod also killed three of his own sons. He drowned two and cut the head off another. Sounds crazy but partial birth abortion is worse. IMHO King Herod is alive today as 52 percent of Catholics voted this year for those that are pro choice (source EWTN). Lord please have mercy on our country.