The Holy Innocents are the children of Bethlehem who were killed by order of King Herod in his attempt to destroy the newborn Christ (Matthew 2:16–18). Though they did not consciously confess Christ, the Church has long recognized them as martyrs, for they died in place of Him. Their deaths fulfilled the words of the prophet Jeremiah, lamenting the sorrow of Rachel weeping for her children (Jeremiah 31:15). The Holy Innocents bear witness to the reality of evil in a fallen world and to God’s mysterious working of salvation, even through suffering and loss.
The Holy Innocents remind us that Christ entered a world marked by violence and grief in order to redeem it. Their witness calls us to trust God’s mercy when suffering seems senseless and to place our hope in His promise that death does not have the final word. May this day strengthen our confidence that the Lord who took flesh for us also gathers the least and the vulnerable into His eternal care (Matthew 18:14).
Catholic Jonesboro 