Today is the feast of Holy Innocents or Childermas, coming from “Childrens Mass.” The feast of the Holy Innocents commemorates the deaths of the babies in Bethlehem who were slaughtered by order of King Herod when he sought to destroy the Christ Child. Because they died on account of Christ’s life, they are accounted the first Christian martyrs. It is thus appropriate that the feast of the Holy Innocent is celebrated in such close proximity to St Stephen who is the first adult martyr of Christ. I’ve often thought this feast also celebrates all those infants who have lost their lives to the horror of abortion. I am sure that Satan continues to wage war agains the image of God and the Incarnation of Christ by destroying human life, even the womb of their misguided mothers.

May God grant the aborted baptism and eternal life.
On a different note, I rather like the old rendering of feasts with the “mas” suffix denoting the Mass. There is to my knowledge four feasts with this kind of title:

Christmas
Childermas (Holy Innocents – Dec 28)
Candlemas (Purification BVM – Feb 2)
Michaelmas (St Michael – Sept 29)

Does anyone know of any others?