The Church commemorates today the Infants (Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, the first Christian martyrs.
As soon as he realized that the Magi from Persia did not return to inform him, but left “by another way”, King Herod became so angry that he ordered the massacre of the infants from the region of Bethlehem, in his attempt to kill the newborn Christ, who was believed to be destined to be king of the Israelites.
Taking into consideration that these infants were slaughtered unjustly and at an innocent age and that God is a God of love and knows each of us even before our birth, the Church included them in the list of those who were martyred for the Church. Some, however, are blaming by ignorance God for the slaughter from which the Holy Infant was saved.
We must not forget that the slaughter was ordered by the infuriated Herod, and not by God. Moreover, the motive for this act was the wickedness, ambition, and selfishness of the king and not the desire for the salvation of the Godman Christ. After all, the loss of life is sad because the man was born for life and not for death.
Source: Church of Cyprus
