Did the Holy Innocents have a Baptism of Blood?

While the Church has long recognized the sanctity of the Innocents it has never formally taught any specific explanation. The New Covenant with its moral obligation of baptism, and its certainty of grace, had not yet been promulgated when they died. Thus, there can be, at best, an analogy to baptism of any kind, including baptism of blood.

However, as St. Thomas Aquinas explains of the Old Covenant, while the sacraments of the Old Law did not impart grace by themselves, God granted it to those who obeyed and believed Him by keeping His covenant. In this way the rites of the Old Law justified in view of the Messiah, and in Circumcision’s case, in view of His Passion (St. Thomas, S.T. III, q70, a4).

It is likely, therefore, that all, or most, of these infant boys were already just and added the crown of martyrdom to that glory. And if in some cases those rites had not yet been performed, how much more ought we to believe that having died out of hatred for Christ, those few should receive justice from God.