In times of difficulty it is common to make a prayer to the saint of our devotion, this ritual must be executed with faith and awareness regarding who we are addressing. The following are salient aspects that should be known when performing the prayer to Holy Innocence.
The story behind the sentence
The history of holy innocence goes back to the events that occurred more or less 300 years d. C. around the life and death of a Roman girl, at a time when Christianity was struggling to establish itself within the society of that time, as a spiritual guide for human beings; this, according to the teachings that she had left Christ. If you are interested in this topic, we recommend you read the following article: Virgin of Lourdes
It is known that recognition of Jesus As a son of God, at the time in which he lived, it was a controversial situation, which aroused suspicion and fear not only from the Jewish religious authorities, but also from the prevailing political power at that time. In fact, Herod, King of Judea, having knowledge of the birth of a child, who, according to rumors, would come to reign over the whole world, orders an unprecedented action.
The fear of Herod Faced with the possibility that someone else would come to challenge him for political power, he had to order the murder of all the children who were less than two years old at that time. For what crime? None, many children died, a genocide committed against innocent beings just to absolutely eradicate any possibility that a child, called Jesusgrow up and become king.
From these events, later in the field of Christianity, towards the end of the fourth and fifth centuries, they began to commemorate every December 28, the day of the innocent saints, so as not to forget such a tragic event. An act if you will in recognition of the sanctity and innocence of these murdered martyrs.
As can be seen, the expansion of Christianity as a doctrine of life and religion, implied since ancient times, persecution, torture and death of many innocents, due to greed, hatred, and intolerance, on the part of those who did not share the teachings of Jesus. However, and despite the injustices committed, the Church managed to formalize and institutionalize itself, already around 300 and 400 AD.
Now, the fact that the church has reached formal recognition by this time, by the Byzantine Roman political authorities, does not mean that the rejection and intolerance towards the teachings of Christ they would have disappeared. Unfortunately, misunderstanding and intolerance towards this religious creed led a person, specifically a father of a family, to commit an abominable act in those times.
And it is here at this point, where the story of Innocence, a Roman girl, it is said, was attracted to the Christian faith, the teachings of Jesus and everything related to Christian rituals. It is important to note here that this religious inclination was not shared by his father, who, on the contrary, felt rejection of it, considering it useless.
The reason for such aversion is not clear, some hypotheses are used, such as the one according to which this man felt very frustrated by the death of his wife, Inocencia's mother. However, there is reference to that time that the dispute between believers and non-believers, and even between Christians, was common. The religious theme and cult figures, from different perspectives, were the cause of disputes and misunderstandings, often with violence.
It is known, for example, that the emperor Constantine of Rome, already formalized the Catholic Church, before the disputes, was forced to gather all the Christian religious leaders of the time, to demand common positions before the adoration of God our Lord, a political demand, which led to the unification at least of the Catholic ritual.
From this reference, it is possible to understand that the father of Innocence, did not escape some kind of dissatisfaction with the Catholic faith. To such an extent that he led him to demand of the young woman Innocence, to depart from this religion. Something that did not happen, since Inocencia, thanks to her contact with the Christian world of the time, she was already totally convinced and sure of her faith and of belonging to the Catholic Church.
But where did it come from? Innocence this religious inspiration? It is said that behind the back of his father and thanks to the friendship with a nun, with whom he shared his concerns, he took a Catholic class, thus beginning his learning in everything that has to do with the Christian faith and its rituals. .
In these courses, to the delight of Innocence, she had the opportunity to know everything related to the events that surrounded the life of Jesus, María y José, the apostles and, above all, the life of struggle and sacrifice that, to date, the recognition of Christianity and its doctrine had meant for Christians.
It is understandable that the knowledge of the commandments, the teachings contained in the Bible and the importance of the sacraments, served not only as an inspiration to strengthen her faith but also to consolidate her commitment as a believing Catholic, through the sacrament of communion.
Again, behind her father's back, with his firm determination and under the auspices of her friend the nun, Innocence, dressed in a beautiful white suit that would facilitate this, went to church to fulfill the sacred sacrament of communion. This way, Innocence fulfilled the great dream of receiving in his life, the body of the Jesus. You can imagine the happiness and joy experienced at this moment by the girl, who surely would have wanted to share it with her mother.
However, having acted outside his father's opinion brought him serious consequences; Well, upon returning to her home and telling her father what had happened, and that it had great meaning for her, this man, full of fury, murdered her by stabbing her in the chest. Neighbors of the sector, before the cries heard from her, entered her house, carrying her in their arms to the church. Her father fled and was never heard from again.
The intolerance of this man, which led him to commit murder against his daughter, led to two important considerations: on the one hand, the first act of persecution for religious reasons was revealed at that time, and on the other, gave rise to a martyr of Christianity, so equivalent to that of the holy innocent children of the time of Herod.
This innocent girl, who died just for wanting to consecrate her life to Jesus, fulfilling the sacred duty of communion, was buried in Santa Ciriaca in Rome. Later, in 1786, her body was transferred by a priest to Mexico, where her remains rest in the Cathedral of Guadalajara, where she is venerated and prays with the prayer to Santa Innocence.
Prayer to Holy Innocence
The tragic story of Innocence, an example of perseverance, faith and commitment to God and the church, coupled with a set of paranormal phenomena after his death, has served as an inspiration to the parishioners, who since then have paid tribute to him, requesting his help. to solve your problems. These requests are accompanied by a prayer to Santa Innocence, prayer presented below.
Oh my God, surrendered at your feet and on my knees, I come before you to offer you my existence. With the greatest love that is born from my heart, today I offer you my words, thoughts, my actions, and my feelings. I grant you the deepest aspects of my being, my dreams, my desires, and my hopes. All this by virtue of the great love that I profess for you, to serve you forever with all my strength, talents and energy.
Fill me with your wisdom, so that I may be a good person whose actions are worthy of you. Allow me to fulfill your holy will. May I be a faithful fulfiller of your wishes, because the only thing that warms my heart is to serve you and praise you. Fill my chest with your infinite love.
Teach me, Father, the virtue of humility, so that I can be that person capable of executing the works of good will that you entrust to me. Show me the path to follow so that pride, arrogance and individualism disappear in me, so that I am a person capable of helping others, without thinking that I am the center of the world. Don't let me lose my innocence.
Animate in me, the fervent desire to do good above all, just as Jesus did, in life, lavishing love everywhere, despite the injustices of the world. I am certain that your presence in my life is essential to move forward, because without you my course is unknown. Nothing would make me happier, that your holy will, be fulfilled through my person.
Allow your wishes to be mine too, so that I only do what you want me to do. Today I offer you my existence, because it is my desire to serve and adore you for the rest of my days. Worship and serve you forever. I entrust myself to you, leaving my life to your care and protection, Amen.
The legend of Holy Innocence
The figure of Santa Innocence and his devotion, has generated endless interpretations, of varied types of considerations about his origin, about how he became a martyr of the Catholic Christian Church and of course, about his miraculous power. His parishioners ask for favors through prayer to Santa Innocence, ensuring that it fulfills their wishes and consequently, helping them to get out of the personal crises in which they find themselves. Hence its miraculous character.
The prayer to Santa Inocencia is based on the legend that, as a historical fact and as it is said, she was a victim of her father's lack of love and understanding in life.
Therefore, when you beg her, showing her love and sincere affection, she does nothing but favor you, gratifying your affection, that is why, by reciting the prayer to Holy Innocence, you not only approach her in her holiness, but you recognize yourself as a being charged with love and affection.
It must be recapitulated that, in the 1700s, his body ended up in Mexico, being placed in the Church of the Virgin of the Assumption of María Santísima, in Guadalajara and from here, any number of stories begin to be obtained, alluding to everything that implies the Holy Innocence, for example, regarding her clothing, to which all kinds of mystical religious considerations are attached, and other assertions that have nothing of a religious and spiritual nature.
In regards to his miraculous power (not scientifically referenced), from statements made by his devotees, Santa Innocence, acquires great relevance, given its power to solve any type of calamity: economic, health, sentimental and couple, among others; There are even publications on communication platforms where they refer to the fact that the Saint opened her eyes, before tourists and their video cameras.
The stories are very fruitful, which narrate the miraculous action of this saint, and propitiated by the prayer to Santa Innocence, but of course, none has the relevant scientific basis, even the Catholic Church itself, has been the subject of conjecture regarding possible miracles, by Santa Innocence. If you are interested in this topic, we recommend you read the following article: History of San Expedito
In this regard, he expresses himself with astonishment, like the Church of Guadalajara (temple where the remains of the saint rest), which has suffered through time, the ravages of important earthquakes, with their respective repairs, the place where the body rests of the Holy girl, it was never touched, despite the seismic intensity, its chapel remains intact without any damage; devotees point to this fact, as a miraculous sign of Holy Innocence.
Speaking of the legend referring to Santa Innocence, it is important to highlight the following, Mexicans have regionalized the history of the saint, even saying that the events occurred in that country in 1700 and that, after the murder occurred at the hands of Inocencia's father, the dead girl was carried in her arms from town to church, with the little white dress, because according to her, she had just made her first communion. This dress is the one that is preserved to this day.
Another issue that deserves some clarification is that although the Holy Innocence It rests today in the church of Guadalajara, it was not always like that; the Lord Vicente Flores of Alatorre (1788), was the one who received the remains when they arrived in Aztec lands and gave the responsibility of caring for them to the Augustinian nuns of Santa Monica in Guadalajara. Later, this convent was closed, to later be used as a seminary.
The seminarians find the remains of the saint and protect them (1869); but the seminary was also closed and the religious were transferred to the church of San Sebastián de Analco in 1915, taking with them Santa Innocence. In 1924, the seminarians were changed again, and the archbishop Francisco de Orozco y Jimenez, made the decision to take the Holy Innocence to its current destination, the church of Guadalajara in 1925.
The speculations about the legend do not stop here, there are stories that suggest that her death was not caused by her father, but by Roman legionnaires, who tortured and murdered the girl, because of her Christian status; Another consideration is that after her father took her life, she is taken by her Christian brothers to the catacombs where they took refuge and she stayed there until she was transferred to Mexico.
As has been seen, the legend of the Holy Innocence is full of conjectures and stories without a concrete and objective historical basis, but what is undeniable is that the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin of Guadalajara is a place where thousands of tourists, devotees or not. These, moved by curiosity or necessity, go to visit the site where the Christian martyr girl lies, probably to request favors by praying to Santa Innocence.
other saints
There are other versions of Santa in the world Innocence, three of them are in Italy, one is known by the name of Santa Innocence from Rimini, another bears the name Santa Innocence of Ravenna; and the third, Holy Innocence of Longobardi; Some data is known about the latter, it is said that it was discovered in a catacomb, therefore it is presumed that it was one more martyr at the time. Being the object of persecution and torture, her death is assumed as a consequence of these actions. It is unknown if these saints have a prayer to Santa Innocence.
His body was discovered by a holy monk from Longobardi, named San Nicholas Saggio. According to this character, upon finding the girl's body, and since very little was known about the remains found, she decided to name her Inocencia; this turned out to be appropriate, since the Holy Father in turn who governed the Catholic Church, at that time, was called Innocent XII. Currently, the body of this Holy Innocence rests in the Church of San Francisco de Paula, in Longobardi, Italy.
All those saints named Inocencia, are the object of veneration and joy, by the parishioners, but apparently the most important, due to the history that is foisted on her and her transcendence, is the Holy Innocence of the church of Guadalajara in Mexico, to whom the prayer to Santa Innocence.
Rational explanation of the case
As is the case, of almost all Catholic mysteries, most of these are subjected to rigorous examinations of all kinds of disciplines, to verify the veracity of the fact, which is considered miraculous. We can point out as an example, all the scientific procedures, which have been carried out to verify exactly and achieve absolute truthfulness, in situations linked to Christianity such as the sacred shroud of Christ.
This object, which after many analyzes was verified, corresponded to the cloth that covered the body of a person tortured under the crucifixion of the time; the nails they used to hammer into Jesus on the cross, they were also the object of appropriate expertise; In the same way, the tip of the spear with which they finished blinding the life of Jesus, hanging on the cross, was rigorously studied.
In short, there are many facts associated with Christianity, which have been subject to scientific verification, and it must be recognized that the Catholic Church, showing a great vocation for honesty and breadth, has not refused such investigations. In the case of the Holy Innocence It has not been different, the body of the girl that rests in Mexico in the Guadalajara cathedral, has been investigated from different points of view and a series of conclusions have been reached.
The body of the girl who lies in a glass urn, in the aforementioned city of the Mexican state, very serious investigations have corroborated, that her skeleton belongs to that of a person who lived, in the Roman region and extracted from the catacombs of San Ciriaco, the chemical tests undertaken attest that it corresponds to that historical period.
Santa's body Innocence arrives in Mexico in 1700 (AD), is placed in the sanctuary where she currently rests, the girl wears a white outfit similar to the one worn by a bride in her wedding ceremony, or the one traditionally used when she takes communion for the first time, no there is reliable information about who designed the dress, or who was responsible for dressing it.
This uncertainty around the clothing has generated a large number of speculations in the popular imagination, one of the most widespread being the belief that the outfit probably belonged to a martyr of the Catholic Christian Church.
But, if the story of Santa Inocencia is true, the girl who, in her most genuine aspiration, wanted to be a Christian and for that fact was murdered by her father, evidencing this, if it is not an act of true madness, we would be facing a situation of extreme religious intolerance, totally objectionable and unjustifiable; in this sense, Innocence unquestionably qualifies as a case of a child martyr.
Regarding the incorruptibility of the body of Santa Innocence, the Catholic Christian Church, like other religions, raises the incorruptibility of the corpse of certain characters, as a weighty sign to achieve holiness since this would be proof of the blessed presence of the grace of Our Lord.
In the case of the Holy Innocence, there is no such incorruptibility, it has been proven that his body or parts of his body have been decomposing over time, as evidenced by his hands; In addition, its coating with wax, which was a procedure used at that time, for bodies in that incorruptible condition, does not exist either, since the material used on the body of Innocence it's plaster.
However, its appearance is perceived in a very real way, as if time had not done its work of decomposition. Another aspect that is important to dismantle from the popular imagination is the comment, according to which you have to cut your hair every so often, because it grows, in the same way it happens with your nails; impossible situation for it to happen, since the hair when being checked is that of a wig, which makes its growth impossible.
In the case of the nails, it is impossible to affirm that they continue to grow despite the time that has elapsed, since it happens that their hands are absolutely decomposed and therefore, there are no such nails, which is why, the story that they have to be cut, to give them maintenance, it is totally false.
Similarly, the glass box that contains the remains of Santa Inocencia has soil inside, a fairly common circumstance in religious manifestations of this type, especially if the body has not been subjected to any form of embalming; On the other hand, traces of some substance can be seen on the ground, it is presumed to be blood. How did it get there? Does it belong to the saint? Well, its origin is totally unknown.
The veneration of Innocence and the prayer to Holy Innocence, is supported by the innumerable testimonies of miraculous events, argued by his devotees; proof of this is constituted by the endless number of letters, presents and plaques of thanks, which their believers carry to confirm that they have been granted some grace.
Today, the possibility of verifying the events described as miraculous becomes somewhat difficult to sustain since anyone can use any platform and technological communication device to promote an alleged miracle. In 2012, a video was made where Santa Inocencia was observed, opening her eyes, this event was taken by a tourist's cell phone camera.
This situation, of doubtful existence, allows the importance of the personal convictions of the believer to gain strength; it depends on him, accept or not, the veracity of phenomena such as the one mentioned above. It will be his system of beliefs, values and faith that will ultimately sustain this type of event.
As can be seen, this type of phenomenon comes to signify a complex cultural fact, not only with regard to the field of science and religion, but also, as a subject that it addresses, the mystical, the spiritual and fields of action, where we find people who like to overshadow the facts, giving it a nuance that borders on the abject.
Closing remarks
The analysis of the life of Santa Innocence, evidence that the origin of her cult is based on the fact that a little Roman girl was attacked by her father, in the face of the outburst of anger or arrogance she had, when she informed him that she had become a Christian, after having consummated the Eucharist or your first communion. She could not imagine this father, that later, his daughter would inspire a prayer to Santa Innocence.
This fact leaves anyone perplexed, when wondering what can be above the life of a child? Is the argument of not accepting a religious conception, in this case the Christian, sufficient justification to take someone's life? and even more so, when the deceased person is your daughter. Obviously, there is no possible thesis that can support such an abominable fact.
But unfortunately, history is full of examples of great conflicts, where religious intolerance is the cause of war, that is, what generates the conflict; it is the conflicting vision of how to conceive the idea of God and his action on human beings.
The first great conflict arose between the Jewish people and the Egyptian; the Jews (BC), were slaves of the Egyptian empire, God our Lord orders to free his people and before the refusal of the imperial state, punishes the Egyptians with a number of pressure measures, which generated the suffering of the population in general.
God materializes this situation, condemning them to suffer the impact of 10 plagues, until finally, the Egyptian authorities allow the Jewish people to leave, thus undertaking the search by the Jews for the so-called promised land.
Another example of conflict, which involved thousands of deaths, were the so-called crusades, a religious confrontation, where Western Christian countries tried to take away from the Turkish Muslims the land where Jesus the son of God had been born and that, therefore, for the Christians it was considered holy territory. The previous conflict took the lives of thousands of people on both sides, without achieving the stated objectives.
Later, another historical manifestation of intolerance can be seen, represented by the schism originating in the Christian Church, which gave rise to the so-called evangelical or Protestant Christianity. This division of the church implied a strong war between the two sides for the control of the territories in Europe in the XNUMXth century; of course in the crash, there were a lot of deaths, all in the name of God.
Religious intolerance, as explained above, continues to manifest itself to a greater or lesser extent, but is always present in many conflicts; already in the 1945th century, the struggle between Arabs and Jews or between the Islamic world and the Israeli state, is another great example, where the basis of the conflict, apparently suggests to be territorial after, to the Jews, the Organization of Nations Nations (UN), will assign a territory (XNUMX), to develop their country project.
This stirs up friction, as the Muslims consider the ceded region to belong to them. This conflict, which has been in full swing for more than half a century, is still sustained by religious and cultural intolerance that, instead of easing, has a tendency to become more and more acute, between both sides. Every day, you can see some press headline, where this bloody struggle is highlighted.
We can also point out the religious conflicts between India, which mainly professes the Hindu religion, and Pakistan, a Muslim country that was born from a division of the Islamic sector that lived in India; His religious intolerance marked a confrontation between the two peoples, who are still at odds today. In this same context, the assassination of the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, at the hands of a far-right religious fanatic.
On the African continent, the genocide committed by the Hutu people, on the ethnic group called Tutsi, in the state of Rwanda in 1994, after a systematic campaign of manipulation and discredit to through the Hutu media, to the Tutsi; An extermination operation was then undertaken, where approximately between 500 and one million Tutsi citizens were stabbed to death.
Another very relevant manifestation of intolerance is represented by the policy of extermination undertaken by the German fascist government, which constitutes the most forceful paradigm of what a behavior of intolerance means; is the case of the Nazi – fascism personified by Adolf Hitler, where every person, considered by these supremacists as inferior beings (Jews, communists, homosexuals, poets, among others), had to be eliminated.
The episodes in Rwanda and the conception of the systematic extermination strategy of German Nazism are the most grotesque evidence of the phenomenon of intolerance in the modern world. It is therefore significant the story of Santa Innocence, a girl, whose only manifest goal was to become a Christian, feeling inclined towards a religious creed, which in its historical context would disadvantage her, considering that it promoted values that were not socially recognized or valued.
Inocencia's father was apparently a furious anti-Christian who could not tolerate his daughter becoming what he hated; his religious intolerance led him to blind the life of her own daughter, definitively, an unobjectionable act of psychotic alienation, which encourages men of good will to foster values of justice, respect and equality. If you liked our article on prayer to holy innocence, we invite you to review more interesting topics within our blog, such as: founder of islam