Would you like to know who the Infant Jesus of Prague was? and how in reality the Origin of him, his History and the Legend of this Saint are fully developed, you should not worry in this article you will be able to find him without any problem, just keep reading and learn a little more about him.
The Infant Jesus of Prague
The story of the Infant Jesus of Prague began with the German Emperor Ferdinand II, who in his free time was looking for a way to show his gratitude to God for a battle won in his lands. Seeing himself victorious and saved by the Lord, he decided to found the first convent of Carmelite Fathers in the city of Prague in 1620.
However, despite the arrival of the religious to the convent, the city of Prague in Bohemia was going through very difficult times, since there were constant wars that affected all the towns of Prague and therefore they found themselves imprisoned within the monastery, experiencing the worst crises to the point of having no way to survive within the facilities due to lack of water and food.
At that same time, a princess named Polixena Lobkowitz lived in Prague. She was known for being a pious woman. Seeing how the convent's financial situation was deteriorating day by day, she gave the Carmelite convent a small wax statue measuring about 48 centimeters. This statue, which was of an unusual size, represented the Child Jesus standing, holding a relic of pure gold in his left hand and with his right hand raised in blessing. His beautiful face demonstrated how kind and merciful God was, and he was dressed in a robe made by the princess herself.
When giving him such an appreciated statue, the princess told the religious to take care of this figure, since in her hands she gave them the effigy with the greatest power that she possessed in her life and that if they honored the Child Jesus, he would always be protecting them. and they would never lack for anything. When the parents saw such an authentic statue, they received it with gratitude and placed it in the main hall of the convent so that the little Child Jesus could be venerated by all, Father Cirilo saying that the figure of the Child Jesus of Prague was very different from the other saints.
The convent's religious, as they venerated the image of the child each day, could not believe how their requests were being fulfilled, just as the princess had told them, since the Divine Child was beginning to show his saving powers, keeping the convent safe and sound from all the surrounding troubles. In 1631, another war broke out in Bohemia. At the same time, the Saxon army completely captured the city of Prague, forcing the Carmelite nuns to flee to Munich to avoid being killed. While this horrible war raged in Prague, devotion to the Child Jesus was gradually forgotten.
When the priests were no longer inside the convent, the Saxon army stormed in to destroy the church, loot the monastery, and enter the main hall where the Child Jesus was kept. They mocked him and broke his hands, then threw them behind the altar in disdain. Some time after the enemy armies had left, the priests returned to the convent to rebuild it, despite its ruins.
Despite all this, while reorganizing everything, the priests forgot about that precious statue of the Child Jesus, so poverty fell on the convent and the population, needing food and resources to completely improve their home and have peace. After seven years, Father Cyril returned to the city of Prague. By that time, Bohemia was already in a period of sadness, as the people and the priests themselves were losing the little faith that remained in the place. Father Cyril himself had to remind them about that statue of the Child Jesus, which he had to carry to the main hall where it was hidden under the rubble.
Having it in his hands, Father Cirilo began to clean it while crying for the bad treatment she had received. Once the statue was clean, he kissed it and took it directly to the convent choir where it was venerated again, while each of the fathers knelt down to ask for forgiveness for having forgotten him, placing their trust in the Child Jesus to once again have his protection and shelter.
Over time, as faith and belief in the Infant Jesus of Prague returned, the enemies raised their troops and retreated, leaving the city of Prague behind so that the convent could rise from the ashes with the blessing of the Infant Jesus of Prague. One day, Father Cyril approached the statue to pray, but in a moment of great silence, he heard the Infant Jesus ask him to obtain his hands so that he could maintain peace in the temple and thus fulfill any request they might make of him.
Father Cirilo, upon hearing the request, ran to the Father Superior to tell him what had happened and ask him to repair the statue. However, the priest refused, as the convent was in dire poverty. Therefore, Cirilo, rather than sit idly by, undertook various tasks to raise the money needed to repair the statuette. However, upon speaking with the Father Superior, he refused to repair it, but instead agreed to buy a new one.
The Father Superior, upon receiving the new statue of the Child Jesus, held a celebration to display the beautiful image, despite Father Cirilo's disagreement. Despite this, the small image was destroyed that same day when a candelabra fell on it. Shortly after, the Father Superior had to resign his position due to falling ill and being unable to continue as Superior of the religious.
A few days after the Superior left his position, a new one was chosen to take charge. Without hesitation, Cirilo begged him to repair the Infant Jesus of Prague, but, like the first Father Superior, he refused. Desperate, Father Cirilo went to the church to implore the Virgin Mary for help. Just as he finished his prayer, a beautiful woman handed him a bag containing a large sum of money. Surprised, Father Cirilo thanked the woman and she was no longer there.
The priest ran to the convent to tell the Father Superior and ask if they could use that money to repair the statue, but again he refused and only gave him twenty-five cents, which wouldn't be enough to repair the figure, so everything remained that way. After a few days, the convent began to suffer new problems, as they could no longer pay the rent for a farm they had rented, all the flocks that provided them with food began to die, and disease claimed the lives of some priests.
The surviving parents went directly to the Infant Jesus of Prague to ask for his help, so they knelt and promised to celebrate ten masses before the figure and popularize his cult. By venerating the child again, things in the convent improved again, even though he still didn't have hands. Therefore, Father Cirilo again asked to restore the statue, and at that moment he heard a voice telling him to place the image on the convent door and find someone who would help him.
Cyril, without thinking twice, took the statue and placed it at the door, and indeed, a man appeared who offered to help him place the hands on the Child Jesus, despite having some problems with the other priests. However, with the Infant Jesus of Prague complete, the convent began to improve day by day, and the number of devotees increased, as the miracles performed by the Child Jesus were heard throughout the city.
Over time, the Carmelite nuns managed to secure enough money to build a public chapel where the Infant Jesus of Prague would be placed so that all devotees could venerate him. Then, in 1644, Princess Lobkowitz, who had donated the beautiful statue, asked her slaves to build a larger chapel so that people could comfortably enter and participate in the annual feast of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague.
Once the structure was inaugurated, people began to arrive from all over to entrust themselves to the baby Jesus. By 1655, the great Count and Marquis of Bohemia requested a crown made entirely of gold with pearls and diamonds to place on the Baby Jesus of Prague in a ceremony.
The Infant Jesus of Prague, for performing so many miracles, was named even in the most distant cities, so his cult was spreading significantly worldwide. In each of the nations, the Infant Jesus was received in various places such as monasteries, schools, universities, parishes and in families that provided him with a large throne on which to rest.
Story of the Infant Jesus of Prague
The statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague is believed to have been carved in Spain in the sixteenth century, so it was only given by parents to sons belonging to the family of the Dukes of Nájera and the Counts of Treviño; however, the statue had been given to Princess Polixena of Pernestán on her wedding day by her mother, María Maximiliana Manrique de Lara y Briceño.
Over the years, this figure has received various papal distinctions, such as in 1896 Pope Leo XIII performed the consecration to the Infant Jesus of Prague, then in 1913 Pope Saint Pius XII held a congregation for the Infant Jesus of Prague, while in 2009 Pope Benedict XVI gave a large crown of pure gold to the statue while he was on an apostolic visit to the Czech Republic.
Already with the passage of time, the celebration of the Infant Jesus of Prague takes place on the first Sunday of June, in said celebration large altars are made to the figure to fill it with candles, fruits and flowers for its veneration and gratitude for each miracle granted.
Legend of the Infant Jesus of Prague
The Infant Jesus of Prague has various legends based on the miracles he performed for different people, but the best known is when a monk named Fray José de la Santa Casa, who possessed a noble heart, was able to hear the Infant Jesus.
One day the monk, while performing his duties inside the monastery, began to hear the voice of a small child who asked him to please recite the Hail Mary, so the Friar, without thinking, put the broom aside and began to pray, but when he reached the verse of "and blessed is the fruit of your womb," the small child stopped him to tell him that it was him and just as he said it, he disappeared.
The monk immediately asked the boy to return, but he never reappeared. Day after day, the monk called out to the little boy from all over the monastery, until one day he heard the voice again, saying, "I will return the day you have all the implements for you to make a wax figure of me." Then he disappeared again.
Without thinking twice, the Friar began searching for all the instruments he would need to make the wax figure, so he asked Father Prior to help him obtain a brush, a knife, and wax so he could make a statue. Father Prior did not refuse and gave him what he requested, which delighted the Friar, as he knew he would be able to model the child he had seen.
To pass the time, the monk Fray began molding one figure after another, but each one he made was more beautiful than the last. One day, several angels descended upon the Child Jesus, who told Fray: "Here I am, so that you can see what I look like and make a wax figure of me." Without thinking twice, the monk began molding the wax and making the child.
Upon completion, he realized he had created a figure exactly like the divine Child Jesus, so joyfully he kneeled, bowed his head, and died before her. The same angels who had been guarding the little child took the Friar's spirit and carried him to paradise.
The priests took the monk's body for a proper burial, while the sculpture was placed at the top of the monastery. One night, the friar appeared to the prior to inform him that the small wax figure was not for them, but rather for Doña Isabel Manríquez de Lara. She would then give the infant Jesus to her daughter as a wedding gift, and she would then deliver him to the Carmelite convent to name him the Infant Jesus of Prague.
Shortly after, the woman arrived, and Father Prior handed the Child Jesus to her, telling her the story of what had happened. The lady, overjoyed, returned to her castle to do as the father had asked.
Prayer to the Miraculous Child of Prague
When the Infant Jesus of Prague was present, the religious said a short prayer to ask for those miracles that the Infant Jesus used to grant, therefore the following prayer is:
“O Little Jesus of Prague! We beg you to look at our infected hearts. Let your Heart of great compassion take pity on us and give us the grace that we beg you on our knees.
(ask for what you need)
Cleanse us from the pain and disappointment, from the suffering and misfortune that overwhelm us. Remember all the virtues of your most sacred childhood, and hear our prayer. Grant us your consolation and grace so that we may perpetually venerate you together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Powerful Nine-Hour Novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague
In addition to the prayer to the little child, a prayer is also performed novena which must be done for nine hours straight without interruption, so that the Child Jesus can hear the requests we make of him, the prayer that must be made is:
“Oh my Child Jesus, You who said, ‘ask and you will receive,’ ‘inquire and you will find,’ ‘knock and it will be opened to you,’ through the Pure Heart of Your Most Blessed Mother, I ask, I inquire and I knock at Your door, that my prayer may be answered. (Say the request)
Oh my Jesus, You once said: Whatever you ask of My Father in My Name, it will be given to you. Through the pure heart of Your Most Holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask the Father, in Your Name, to hear my prayer. (Say the Petition)
Oh, my Child Jesus of Prague, You who said heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Through the Perfect Heart of your Most Holy Mother, I ask you, confident that you hear my prayers. (Say the Petition)
Thank you, Divine Child of Prague! Amen"
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