One of the great mysteries of life is why totally innocent people have to suffer an untimely death. We see it happening nearly every day. Children who are the victims of war, starvation and all kinds of violence. Today we celebrate the memory of very young children who were eliminated because of the fearful jealousy of a tyrannical king. The target of this massacre was just one Child, who was being described as a King and hence a potential rival to Herod. Herod was filled with alarm and foreboding. He did not know how to recognise the Child so he decided to kill all children in his age group living in Bethlehem. The Child, however, had already fled into Egypt. Today we remember these Innocents, all boys, who died so tragically. One can imagine the grief of their parents and families in losing their sons. The one Child who was the target of this evil act had escaped but only because his 'time had not yet come'. In due course, he too would be led like a lamb to the slaughter and die a horrible death so that we might live. Today, we especially remember the huge numbers of children who have died because of the mutual hatred and violence of their elders or who have been unjustly deprived of life, even before their birth.