Byzantine Saints: 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem (29 December)

About this sermon

On December 29, the Orthodox Christian Church commemorates the 14,000 Holy Innocents of Bethlehem, the first martyrs who gave their lives for Christ our God. When the Magi from the East beheld a new star announcing the birth of the King of the Jews, they journeyed to worship the Divine Infant. Warned by God in a dream, they did not return to King Herod, who had secretly planned to kill the Messiah. Enraged by the failure of his scheme, Herod ordered the massacre of all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem and its surrounding region, believing the Christ Child would be among them. These innocent infants became the first martyrs for Christ, sanctified not by water baptism, but by the baptism of their own blood. Herod’s violence did not stop there. His rage fell upon Saint Simeon the God-Receiver, who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, and upon Saint Zachariah, the prophet and priest, who was murdered for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of his son, Saint John the Baptist. Soon after, God’s judgment fell upon Herod himself. Struck by a terrible illness, he died a horrific death, eaten by worms while still alive—having murdered his own family, the chief priests, members of the Sanhedrin, and many others so that his death would be mourned rather than celebrated. The Church honors the Holy Innocents as true saints, reminding us that God glorifies the humble, the unknown, and the innocent. Their feast also commemorates all Orthodox martyrs whose names are known only to God, who suffered by sword, hunger, thirst, freezing, and persecution for Christ’s sake. Today, holy relics of the Innocents are found in Jerusalem, Constantinople, and Mount Athos, bearing witness to their eternal glory. “The least of these will shine brighter than the kings of this world.” 📅 Feast Day: December 29 ✝️ Commemoration: The Holy Innocents, First Martyrs of Christ 00:00 – The 14,000 Holy Innocents of Bethlehem 00:21 – The Magi and the Star of Christ 00:46 – The Magi Warned by God 01:00 – Herod’s Order to Kill the Children 01:16 – The First Martyrs for Christ 01:20 – Saint Simeon the God-Receiver 01:36 – Martyrdom of Saint Zachariah 01:50 – God’s Judgment Upon Herod 02:17 – Why the Church Calls Them Saints 02:36 – Relics of the Holy Innocents 02:54 – Unknown Orthodox Martyrs Remembered 03:21 – Glory of the Humble at the Last Judgment https://www.oca.org/saints/lives 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SensusFidelium.TV - https://sensusfidelium.tv/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #HolyInnocents #OrthodoxChristianity #OrthodoxSaints #ChristianMartyrs #ChurchHistory #December29 #NativityOfChrist #KingHerod #LivesOfTheSaints #

Topics

• Holiness