There is nothing more attractive or endearing than the sight of a dear little Child. The sight of the Infant Jesus draws humanity to open up their hearts to embrace this Divine Child with love and devotion. Jesus chose to come into our world as a little infant to kindle in us the deep love that would move us to love Him more easily in return for being the incarnate love of the father.
The Infant Lord and King in our shrine at Viveknagar remains majestic yet approachable; divine, yet human; the Almighty, but not intimidating. This heartfelt devotion of the multitudes that flock to this lovely shrine reminds us that the Incarnation of Jesus has indeed brought us to a closer relationship with God. For many Christians and non-Christians alike, the Spirituality of the devotion to the Infant Jesus is one of imitation of the “smaller” and more discreet virtues of true Christian life. In His Infancy, Christ exhorts us to imitate His humility and meekness; to depend upon the Heavenly Father and the Blessed Virgin Mary: that our charity may be sweet and inviting; and our heart innocent and confident.
Devotion to the Child Jesus dates back to the early Church. However, it really began to develop during the Middle Ages. St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony promoted it in the 13th century. Statues of the Infant Jesus then were made in various parts of Europe. In the 16th century and during the Baroque period which followed, the popularity of the Child Jesus grew in Spain under the influence of St. Teresa of Avila, the reformer of the Carmelite Order. St. Teresa would carry around with her statues of the Infant Jesus and enshrine them in the new convents which she founded. In Baroque Spain it became the custom to dress these statues in special robes as a sign of the royalty of Christ. From Spain, statues of the Infant Jesus were brought around the world. A Spanish princess brought a statue of the Infant Child to Prague when she married a Czech nobleman. She gave the statue to the Carmelites in Prague, who loved this devotion, and miracles happened. But in the turmoil of the land and the destruction of the royal home during those dark years, the statue was lost in the rubble and devotion to the Infant Lord was forgotten.
On the Feast of Pentecost in 1637, Cyrillus à Mater Dei, a priest, returned to Prague, a city and a community in distress. Father Cyrillus remembered the prosperity and peace this city had enjoyed while devotions were observed to the Infant Jesus. He searched for the lost statue and eventually found it almost buried in dust and debris. Made of wood and coated with wax, the image had miraculously suffered little from its neglect except for its two hands, which were missing. Fr. Cyrillus placed the statue atop an altar in the oratory and organised devotions to it. One day, while praying before the statue, he distinctly heard these words: “Have pity on me, and I will have pity on you. Give me my hands, and I will give you peace. The more you honour me, the more I will bless you.”
These extraordinary and supernatural pledges got him started on a mission of re-introducing the devotion to the Infant Jesus to the Christian community in Prague. The Infant Child of Prague makes the same extraordinary pledges to us today. It is time for us, individually and as families, to return to a truly heartfelt devotion to the Infant Jesus, who wishes to bestow countless blessings upon all of us in this Jubilee year of Mercy.
As we listen to him plead, “Have pity on me, and I will have pity on you”, we are reminded of His humility. Jesus appears as an infant so as to embody his divine mercy within the most approachable form imaginable, that of a little child.
“Give me my hands, and I will give you peace.” Once the hands of the miraculous statue of Prague were repaired by Fr. Cyrillus à Mater Dei, the miracles that took place surrounding the Carmelite Church of Our Lady of Victory in Prague became too numerous to document. The Merciful Infant seeks only our humble cooperation and He will in turn become the worker of great miracles of family peace and healing for us.
“The more you honour Me, the more I will bless you” is an invitation to all of us to obtain a statue or an image of the Infant Jesus of Prague; place Him in a prominent and dignified place in our home, welcome Him into our domestic Church with love; pray to Him as a family with firm faith in his promises. Then witness the extraordinary flow of graces that will enter your families.
As we celebrate the Feast of the Infant Lord at this glorious shrine of the Infant Jesus in Viveknagar, I greet each and every one of you and pray for his special and merciful love. Build a deep and loving devotion to the miraculous Infant Child; you will see miracles in your home, miracles of reconciliation, purity, peace and love. May the Infant Lord whom you honour bless you more and more.
— Rector cum Parish Priest