“The Feast of the Holy Innocents reminds us that shortly after the coming of Hope into the world, in the form of God as a new-born child, the fallen World has its own sickening and brutal response.
Some of the tragic news we hear each day echoes the inhuman tragedy of the massacre of the innocents. We witness the same kind of brutality that Herod unleashed on the innocent children of Judea every day in a myriad of unspeakable actions: murder, abortion, war, exploitation, slavery and countless other types of violence and oppression, much of which is against innocent children.
Herod’s actions are not only echoed in the extreme examples of evil cited above. In the actions of secularists, materialists and atheists, who seek to emulate Herod in their attempts to eradicate God from the world in favour of their own interests and agendas, we see various social effects manifesting that, in one way or another, enable a whole plethora of great and small evils to stir in men’s hearts.”– Traditio et Virtus
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 and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
