December 28
Holy Innocents
The Feast of the Holy Innocents commemorates the tragic event described in the Gospel of Matthew, where King Herod, in his fear of a rival king foretold by the Magi, ordered the massacre of all male children under the age of two in Bethlehem and its vicinity. These children, though unknown by name and unable to profess faith in Christ, are honored by the Church as the first martyrs, as they died because of Christ and for Christ.
This feast, observed since the early centuries, serves as a stark reminder of the cost of Christ’s coming into the world, as well as the evil that can arise from fear and the abuse of power. The Holy Innocents represent the countless innocents who suffer violence and injustice, and thus the Church upholds their memory as both a warning and a source of hope—the assurance that God does not forget the small and voiceless. The red liturgical color reflects their martyrdom, marking their lives as a silent witness to Christ.
Over time, devotion to the Holy Innocents has also become an occasion for Christians to pray for all vulnerable children and victims of violence, and to renew their commitment to the defense of life. Various traditions, including blessing children on this day, remind the faithful to cherish the gift of life and to work against all forms of injustice that threaten the innocent.
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The liturgical day
Mass readings
Reading1 Jn 1, 5 – 2, 2
Beloved,
this is the message we have heard from Jesus Christ
and that we proclaim to you:
God is light;
in him, there is no darkness.
If we say that we are in communion with him,
while we walk in darkness,
we are liars,
and we do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light,
as he himself is in the light,
we are in communion with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin,
we trick ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
If we acknowledge our sins,
he who is faithful and just
will forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we are without sin,
we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.
My little children,
I write this to you so that you may avoid sin.
But if anyone does sin,
we have an advocate with the Father:
Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
He it is who, by his sacrifice,
obtains forgiveness for our sins,
not only for ours,
but also for those of the whole world.
– The Word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 123 (124), 2-3, 4-5, 6a.7cd-8
If the Lord had not been on our side
when people rose against us,
then they would have swallowed us alive,
in the heat of their anger.
Then the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us;
then we would have been overwhelmed
by the raging waters.
Blessed be the Lord!
The snare has been broken: we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
GospelMt 2, 13-18
After the wise men had left,
here is what happened: the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph
and said to him:
“Get up; take the child and his mother,
and flee to Egypt.
Stay there until I tell you,
because Herod is going to search for the child
to destroy him.”
Joseph got up;
in the night, he took the child and his mother,
and withdrew to Egypt,
where he stayed until the death of Herod,
so that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled:
Out of Egypt I called my son.
Then Herod, seeing that he had been deceived by the wise men,
became furious.
He sent to have all the children killed who were two years old and under
in Bethlehem and throughout that whole region,
following the time he had learned from the wise men.
Then was fulfilled what was spoken
by the prophet Jeremiah:
A cry is heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lament:
it is Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be consoled,
because they are no more.
– Let us acclaim the Word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org