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     The children die for Christ, though they do not know it. The parents mourn for the death of martyrs. The child makes of those as yet unable to speak fit witnesses to him. See the kind of kingdom that is his, coming as he did in order to be this kind of king. See how the deliverer is already working deliverance, the savior already working salvation. (Office of Readings)

     When we reflect on the Birth of Christ, Calvary is always nearby.  We see in this day and age that children still provoke a mixed response. Some value them as precious gifts created in the image and likeness of God in which the human race finds its hope, and others see them as an obstacle to their standard of living or a burden on an over-populated world.

      Most Catholics connect this day to the evils of abortion and that is definitely true. However, today, there is not only the slaughter of the Innocents, but also the destruction of Innocence, which could be argued to be far worse. The children who have succumbed to physical death now rest in the mercy of God’s love forever, but the children who undergo a spiritual death are being destroyed much more slowly. Many are not taught about Jesus Christ. Many have not been taught how to pray. With some parents allowing the media to raise children in a culture soaked with sexual exploitation, violence and narcissism and moral permissiveness, is there any wonder that children can no longer live in innocence? Children today need to be protected and need to be formed in goodness, holiness, purity and real happiness. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can say that in the infant Christ, innocence has been restored, and it is now up for us to realize it.

     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. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

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