The Feast of the Holy Innocents - Dec 28

Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.

Today we remember the sad event in the Bible when Herod ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under. We pray that all children will be valued and their lives protected.

Holy Innocents

Sleep, little Baby, sleep,

The holy Angels love thee,
And guard thy bed, and keep

A blessed watch above thee. 

No spirit can come near 

Nor evil beast to harm thee: 

Sleep, Sweet, devoid of fear 

Where nothing need alarm thee. 

The Love which doth not sleep, 

The eternal arms around thee: 

The shepherd of the sheep 

In perfect love has found thee. 

Sleep through the holy night, 

Christ-kept from snare and sorrow, 

Until thou wake to light 

And love and warmth to-morrow.

by Christina Georgina Rossetti

Father, the Holy Innocents offered you praise by the death they suffered for Christ. May our lives bear witness to the faith we profess with our lips.

from the Directory of Popular Piety and the Liturgy: The Feast of the Holy Innocents

Giotto di Bondone
No. 21 Scenes from the Life of Christ
Massacre of the Innocents
1304-06 -- Fresco