The Holy Innocents, Martyrs; St. John
On hearing the Magi ask for "He that is born King of the Jews", Herod, the Roman client-king in Judea, felt his throne was in jeopardy. He ordered the murder of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two, to be secure. However, Joseph, Mary and Jesus had fled to Egypt after they had been warned by an angel, the theme of the "Flight into Egypt."
The feast has formerly been called Childermas, Children's Mass, Holy Innocents' Day.
The Roman Catholic Church keeps a simple octave in memory of the Holy Innocents; they are also commemorated in the liturgy of January 4. They are the only martyrs whose feastday is kept by the wearing of purple vestments at Mass, as opposed to red.
In Spain and Iberoamerica, December 28 is a day for pranks, equivalent to April Fool's Day in many countries. Prank victims are called inocentes.
-Wikipedia: "Massacre of the Innocents"
The Church venerates these children as martyrs (flores martyrum); they are the first buds of the Church killed by the frost of persecution; they died not only for Christ, but in his stead (St. Augustine, "Sermo 10us de sanctis").
The Latin Church instituted the feast of the Holy Innocents at a date now unknown, not before the end of the fourth and not later than the end of the fifth century. It is, with the feasts of St. Stephen and St. John, first found in the Leonine Sacramentary, dating from about 485. To the Philocalian Calendar of 354 it is unknown. The Latins keep it on 28 December, the Greeks on 29 December, the Syrians and Chaldeans on 27 December. These dates have nothing to do with the chronological order of the event; the feast is kept within the octave of Christmas because the Holy Innocents gave their life for the newborn Saviour. Stephen the first martyr (martyr by will, love, and blood), John, the Disciple of Love (martyr by will and love), and these first flowers of the Church (martyrs by blood alone) accompany the Holy Child Jesus entering this world on Christmas day. Only the Church of Rome applies the word Innocentes to these children; in other Latin countries they are called simply Infantes and the feast had the title "Allisio infantium" (Brev. Goth.), "Natale infantum", or "Necatio infantum". The Armenians keep it on Monday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost (Armen. Menology, 11 May), because they believe the Holy Innocents were killed fifteen weeks after the birth of Christ.
The Roman Station of 28 December is at St. Paul's Outside the Walls, because that church is believed to possess the bodies of several of the Holy Innocents. A portion of these relics was transferred by Sixtus V to Santa Maria Maggiore (feast on 5 May; it is a semi-double).
-Catholic Encyclopedia: "Holy Innocents"
O God, whose praise the martyred innocents did this day proclaim, not by speaking, but by dying: Destroy in us all the malice of sinfulness, that our lives may also proclaim thy faith, which our tongues profess. Through our Lord. Amen.
-Women for Faith & Family: "Feast of the Holy Innocents"
Today's festival in honour of the Holy Innocents seems to stand in sharp contrast to the Christmas season of which it is a part. It seems to be a kind of anti-Christmas. Instead of the newborn Christ-child, we hear of the massacre of children. Instead of "peace on earth, good will towards men," we hear of envy, jealousy, and malice. Instead of shepherds and wise men hasting to the cradle, we hear of soldiers and policemen. Instead of mother Mary keeping all these things and pondering them in her heart, we hear of mother Rachel weeping for her lost children. Instead of festive white and gold, the Church and her ministers are vested this morning in red, symbolising the blood of martyrs.
One might well ask: why interrupt our Christmas festivities with this? Why should this fourth day of Christmas not be a day of four calling birds, rather than a commemoration of murdered infants?
...
At Christmas we celebrate the mystery of God the Son, the eternal Word of God, becoming flesh and pitching his tent amongst us. And to be among human beings is not always to be among milking maids and leaping lords and drumming drummers; it is sometimes to be amidst squalid, brutal, and violent conditions. This is the world, and these are the people, that Christ came to earth to redeem.
...
Saint Matthew says that the slaughter of the Innocents was in fulfillment of a saying of the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamenting and weeping bitterly; it is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more." Ramah is the place-name of a hill near Bethlehem, traditionally the burial place of Rachel, the wife of the patriarch Isaac, the son of Abraham and the father of Judah, from whom the people and country of Judea took their name.
The very next verse is this: "The Lord says, stop your lamenting, dry your eyes, for your labour will have a reward. There is hope for the future after all, the Lord declares." And a couple of verses later: "How long will you hesitate, rebellious daughter? For the Lord is creating something new on earth."
And this is the Christmas message: "Stop your lamenting, dry your eyes, for the Lord is creating something new on earth." We do not any longer have to be subject to the Herods of this world; power they may have, armies they may command, atrocities they may order - but they cannot rule us any longer. We have a new king, a legitimate king, and he will rule in our hearts.
-The Deacon's Homily for Holy Innocents' Day [Anglican]
Reading:
Why are you afraid, Herod, when you hear of the birth of a king? He does not come to drive you out, but to conquer the devil. But because you do not understand this you are disturbed and in a rage. To destroy one child whom you seek, you show your cruelty in the death of so many children.
You are not restrained by the love of weeping mothers and fathers mourning the deaths of their sons, nor by the cries and sobs of the children. You destroy those who are tiny in body because fear is destroying your heart. You imagine that if you accomplish your desire you can prolong you own life, though you are seeking to kill Life himself.
The children die for Christ, though they do not know it. The parents mourn for the death of martyrs. The Christ child makes of those as yet unable to speak fit witnesses to himself. But you, Herod, do not know this and are disturbed and furious. While you vent your fury against the child, you are already paying him homage, and do not know it.
To what merits of their own do the children owe this kind of victory? They cannot speak, yet they bear witness to Christ. They cannot use their limbs to engage in battle, yet already they bear off the palm of victory.
Patronage: babies; children's choir; choir boys; foundlings
-Patron Saints Index: Holy Innocents
[Ecard for Holy Innocents' Day.]
Today is Sherlyn's & my birthday! LoL. Let me tell your our story: We were born on the same day in the same hospital (Mt. Alvernia), both premature, and since there's only one incubator room in that hospital, we were probably in the same room... Then we went to the same primary school (CHIJ Toa Payoh Pri), but we didn't meet until we were posted to the same class in the same secondary school (CHIJ Toa Payoh Sec) and we only found out abt our birthday & birthplace in Sec. 2! And now we've been classmates for 5 years! Haha.
Merry 4th day of Christmas!!!
Now for yesterday's feast, which I couldn't post yesterday 'cos I fell asleep after Sherlyn's party.
Called by Jesus during the first year of His ministry, and traveled everywhere with Him, becoming so close as to be known as the beloved disciple. Took part in the Last Supper. The only one of the Twelve not to forsake the Savior in the hour of His Passion, standing at the foot of the cross. Made guardian of Our Lady by Jesus, he took her into his home. Upon hearing of the Resurrection, he was the first to reach the tomb; when he met the risen Lord at the lake of Tiberias, he was the first to recognize Him.
Imprisoned with Peter for preaching after Pentecost. Wrote the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and possibly the Book of Revelation. Survived all his fellow apostles.
Patronage: against poison; art dealers; Asia Minor; authors; bookbinders; booksellers; burns; diocese of Cleveland, Ohio; compositors; editors; engravers; friendships; lithographers; diocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; painters; papermakers; poisoning; printers; publishers; Sundern, Germany; tanners; Taos, New Mexico; theologians; typesetters; Umbria, Italy; writers
Name Meaning: God is gracious; gift of God
[hey.. that's the meaning of my name.]
-Patron Saints Index: St. John the Apostle
Jean
*The Acts* prayed
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11:41 am
