The Martyrdom of the Holy Innocents

A wave of inconsolable weeping swept across the land—mothers gripped with horror and engulfed in anguish. Evil had emerged from the dark corridors of power and snuffed out every firstborn son in sight. An act so evil that all of heaven wept. Yet, these innocent victims would be engraved forever on humanity’s heart as the very first to pay the price for the coming of the Prince of Peace. The wickedness of one king in an ancient Judean town sparked a tragedy that would echo through human history. Yet, it also set the stage for an everlasting honor.

This is the story of the Holy Innocents.

The Holy Innocents refers to the children who were killed in Bethlehem by order of King Herod, according to the Gospel of Matthew.

King Herod was the Roman-appointed ruler of Judea at the time when Jesus was born. The Gospel states that Magi from the East came to Jerusalem looking for the newborn 'King of the Jews' to pay homage to him, but King Herod became jealous and fearful that this child would eventually supplant his power.

Herod assembled the chief priests and scribes and asked them where the Messiah was to be born according to prophecy. They answered that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Herod later secretly summoned the Magi and sent them to Bethlehem, asking them to report back after they found the child so he could also “pay him homage.”

However, the Magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod after finding Jesus and honoring him. Herod, realizing he had been outwitted by the Magi, became furious. He ordered the killing of all boys aged two and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity in an attempt to kill Jesus and prevent the prophesied threat to his throne from ever taking place.

This brutal order is known as the Massacre of the Innocents or the Slaughter of the Innocents. The murdered children became regarded as the first Christian martyrs. They were later venerated as saints, considered by the Church to be the Holy Innocents. They also serve as a reminder of Christian persecution during a time of turmoil when prophecies about the Messiah were being fulfilled.

The story emphasizes King Herod’s tyranny and shows that even Jesus had to face mortal danger and violence from the time of his birth. Throughout the centuries, the Holy Innocents have inspired great works of art and music. Their memory continues to be honored by Christians today, over two thousand years later.

The Church has established the Feast of the Holy Innocents to honor the Innocents. It is celebrated every year on December 28th.