Today is the commemoration of the slaughter of the innocents - when Herod ordered the death of all children, two years or younger, in and around the city of Bethlehem. The story is found in Matthew 2, but it's also referenced in Revelation 12:4, when "the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth." Of course the dragon-empowered king failed to kill Jesus, but succeeded in killing other innocent babies.

One of my favorite Christmas carols, from back in the day when I used to sing in madrigal groups, is a song called the Coventry Carol. You might not think that someone would write a Christmas carol about the slaughter of the innocents - and as a lullaby, no less - but it' s a song you never forget. Here's a link to just one version of it on YouTube, with the lyrics (for you musicians, I tried to find a version without the abomination that is the picardy third, but I couldn't - sorry). I'm sure there are better versions of the song out there, but for those who have never heard it, here's the link:

https://youtu.be/6-Kt2Fal4aA?si=46OGXf0UZa2V1s2j

Of course I can't fail to mention that the slaughter of the innocents goes on to this day, to the intolerable shame of our otherwise great country. Planned Parenthood alone has now killed more people than Hitler, and that's no exaggeration. If you haven't yet seen the film Unplanned, I highly recommend it. I'm not sure if it's available on any of the streaming services, but if you can find it, it will be worth the effort. There is actually cause for "feasting" in the progress the pro-life movement has made over the last several years, but the attacks of the culture of death and the multi-billion dollar abortion industry are only increasing, so keep praying for the innocent ones!