Living in a world of space and time, we very easily accept the idea that everything is quantifiable and that the seriousness of human realities such as emotions, happiness, suffering and catastrophes is best understood when measured in some way. Thus, over the ages, different cultures have suggested the number of Holy Innocents killed, ranging from a few hundred to 144,000.

This is mere speculation and in no way helps us to understand the Gospel accounts of Jesus' birth. Basing their opinion on the population of the time, most scholars suggest that perhaps between six and twenty children died. Again, this is only conjecture. Saint John expresses the truth in a more direct way, without the story of the Innocents: Jesus came unto his own and his own did not receive him [John 1:11].

That tragedy is repeated all through history: the death of children, through abortion, hunger, war, terrorism of various kinds, is a very dark aspect of our world. All of us should feel called to reject what Pope John Paul II called "the culture of death" in all its many forms. The Gospel promotes a culture of life because it cultivates a civilization of love.