Save the Children

On this day we remember the slaying of 14,000 innocent infants by Herod as he sought desperately to destroy the Christ child. As is described by Saint Romanos it was a horrible event. 

For they pursued the mothers and , when they caught up with them, they snached the children from their arms.  With bared swords, the soldiers met the mothers carrying the children in their arms.  So that each one cried, 'Kill them, but the bosom of Apraham will receive them like faithful Abel.' Thus the lawless one shed the innocent blood of balmeless children.... With daggers they were slain mercilessly.  Some were transfixed and breathed their last horribly; others were cut in two.  Still others had their heads cut off as they suckled and drew milk from the reasts of their mothers.  Then as a result of this, the cherished heads of the babes hung from their breasts, and the nipples were still held within their mouths by their delicate teeth.  Then the distress of the women who were nurshing the infants redoubled and became intolerable as they were physically torn from their two year old infants.

What is the spiritual lesson from this event?  Do we also have blood on our hands of innocent children?  Have we properly led children in the way of Christ? Have we damaged their souls by our own conduct?  Each time we have caused another to sin we have killed spiritually.  So, beware and reflect on your own actions.  The tyrant Herod is lurking in all of us and we may be blind to it.  Each time we misled a child by not attending Church we show them that its OK not to respect our time of worship.  Each day we do not offer prayers to our Lord we show them how unimportant daily prayer is for us.  


A friend fo mine told me this story.

One sunday, our youngest one noticed that Daddy was still sleeping when it was time to go to Church.  I had prepared the kids for church and we were ready to leave.  Out son then said, "I can't wait until I get as old as daddy.  Then I wont have to go to Church."  My husband heard this and immediately jumped out of bed and hurriedly readied himself of Church.  He never slept in again on a Sunday.

We can think of many such similar events that mislead our children spiritually. In such cases we too are as guilty as Herod.


Our Lord says to us,

Offenses will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about their neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones." (Lk 17: 1-2)

We have a responsibility to lead our children in spiritual life.  We need to show them through our example how to  honor our God.  We need to show though our own life the way to act according to his plan for us.  Each time we are not able to do this in the presence of children we may also become killers of souls of infants.