The Holy Innocents were the infant boys of Bethlehem, two years old and under, killed by order of King Herod in his attempt to destroy the newborn Christ, as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew. The Church has honored them as martyrs since the early centuries, keeping their feast on December 28 within the octave of Christmas.
These little ones gave their lives for Christ before they could speak his name, and the Church calls them the first flowers of the martyrs. Their feast reminds us that God gathers to himself even the smallest and most innocent, and that no child who dies is ever lost to his love — each one is held close to the Christ Child forever.
Lord, who welcomed the Holy Innocents into your glory before they could know you by name, hold every child who has gone before us close to your heart, and comfort all who mourn them. Amen.