Today is the feast of the Holy Innocents, the day we remember and honor all the innocent babies that lost their lives not only for the Newborn King, but in His place. The Church calls these sweet babies the Flowers of the Martyrs.
While traveling in search of their King, the Three Wise Men, stopped to pay a respectful visit to King Herod, as they passed through his kingdom. King Herod might have been embarrassed, humiliated, jealous or offended that these Wise Men from afar were aware of the Newborn King in his kingdom and yet he was not. He may have asked many questions in an effort to find out exactly where they were going and whom they were going to see.
We know that the Three Wise Men made their visit to the Newborn King and presented their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh (St. Matt, chap 2, v 11). We know that an angel appeared to St. Joseph (St. Matt, chap 2, v 13-15) in his sleep, saying:
While traveling in search of their King, the Three Wise Men, stopped to pay a respectful visit to King Herod, as they passed through his kingdom. King Herod might have been embarrassed, humiliated, jealous or offended that these Wise Men from afar were aware of the Newborn King in his kingdom and yet he was not. He may have asked many questions in an effort to find out exactly where they were going and whom they were going to see.
We know that the Three Wise Men made their visit to the Newborn King and presented their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh (St. Matt, chap 2, v 11). We know that an angel appeared to St. Joseph (St. Matt, chap 2, v 13-15) in his sleep, saying:
"Arise, and take the Child and his Mother, and fly into Egypt, and be there until I shall tell thee. For it shall come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy him. Who arose, and took the Child and his Mother by night, and retired into Egypt, and he was there until the death of Herod;"
We know that King Herod (St. Matt, chap 2, v 16) sent his men and
"killed all the men children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under,".
In Herod we see how blind and how cruel ambition is. It begs the question, what is the driving force behind the loss of the innocent lives from abortion? I'm ashamed to even try to guess at some of the reasons a person may choose to end their baby's life. Any reason I conjure up seems inadequate and inappropriate . . . timing? finances? health? fear?
It's always devastating to hear of the death of a child, always. Can you imagine the pain and suffering in Bethlehem on that day? Can you imagine soldiers coming down the streets and into homes on a mission to massacre babies and leaving them to die in their wake? Why is it so unbearable to even think of losing our babies against our will and yet we should have the "choice" of abortion? It's inherently wrong, and we know it. It can not be wrong for someone else to kill our babies and at the same time "a right" for us to kill them.
Holy Innocents, Flowers of the Martyrs, please pray for us to be as brave as your parents had to be so that we have the courage to end abortion!
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