Prayer to the Holy Infant of Prague
Oh Divine Infant, Source of all good, the goodness of thy heart is infinite, and the bounty of Thy little hand immeasurably great. like a river, Thou pourest forth thy gifts over thirsty mankind and fillest us with blessings in time and in eternity.
If thou preservest not our temporal goods our industry is in vain.
Almighty Infant, lift thy little hand and bless our temporal possessions. Take them under thy powerful protection, and keep them from misfortune and loss.
Give us the necessary grace to use our temporal goods according to Thy Will, to employ ourselves usefully after thy pleasure, and to give joy to our neighbours through love of thee, that so we may lay up treasure in heaven, where no thief can enter, nor moth nor rust destroy.
Amen.
How the Statue of the Holy Child Came to Prague
One morning near the turn of the seventeenth century, a nineteen inch statue began a long journey from Spain to what is now, modern Czechoslovakia. This statue travelled in noble company. It was brought by Countess Maria Mauriquez of Lara. The countess came to Prague to attend the wedding of her daughter, Princess Polyxena, to Count Adelbert of Lobcovice. The little image of the Holy Child which was a most treasured heirloom of the Spanish royal family was given as a wedding gift to Princess Polyxena and her husband. The newly wedded couple appreciated and treasured the precious gift.
Princess Polyxena became a generous benefactor to the Carmelite Fathers who were given the church of the Holy Trinity in Prague. This had been a Protestant church. However, in 1624 the victorious Hapsburg gave the church to the Carmelites. It was then renamed as the church of Our Lady of Victory.
After the death of her husband, the Countess presented the image of the Christ Child to the Carmelites saying “I give to you my most precious possession. So long as you venerate this image you shall not want.”
The Princess prophecy’ was remarkably fulfilled. When the Carmelite community began to venerate the image of the Divine Child many spiritual and temporal blessings came to it. According to the custom of the order, the novices fostered a special devotion to the little Son of their Queenly Mother.
Among the novices, the most devoted was Brother Cyril. This young Carmelite Brother had suffered greatly from aridity and temptations during the .greater part of his novitiate. However, the Infant Jesus restored Brother Cyril’s devotion and he became the most faithful and ever devoted servant of the Holy Infant Jesus from then on.