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The spiritual message
The devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague points out in the mystery of Christ four aspects rich in theological doctrine.
Jesus is the Son of God, “born of the Father before all ages”, who “descended from heaven and by the work of the Holy Ghost… he became man”. The Incarnation is the first act of Redemption; in Jesus Christ we already see our Savior, we contemplate his gift of love. This central mystery of our faith, which we celebrate in the solemnity of Christmas, is invoked within devotion from the same depiction of the statue.
In the life of Jesus, we see God’s behavior and practice our correspondence to his gift. In the devotion to Infant Jesus meditation and imitation of the mysteries of his Divine Childhood are strongly recommended, also through concrete practices, such as the recitation of the “Chaplet Prayer to the Divine Infant Jesus” or the celebration of the 25th of each month, in which we remember the Announcement of the Nativity, and other mysteries of Childhood.
The Waiting for The Messiah. (LK 1:5-25 ; 57-80)
The coming of the Son of God to the earth is an event of this kind that God has been willing to prepare over the centuries and the announces it by mouth of the prophets that are happening in Israel; awakens in the hearts of the pagans the expectation of this coming. Putting himself in communion with the long preparation of the first coming of the Savior, the faithful revived the ardent desire of His second coming. (CCC 552,524)
The coming of Christ in history (The genealogy of Jesus) (MT1:1-17)
When the fullness of time came, God sent His Son. “God has visited his people, fulfilled the promises made to Abraham and his offspring, and went beyond all expectations: he sent his “Beloved Son. “We believe and profess that Jesus of Nazareth, a jew born from a family of Israel in Bethlehem at the time of King Herod the Great and Emperor Caesar Augustus, is the eternal Son of God made man. (CCC 423)
The annunciation to Mary. (LK 1:26-38)
The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates the fullness of time, that is the fulfillment of promises and preparations. In the announcement that would give birth to the Son of the Most High without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that nothing is impossible to God. Thus, giving his assent to the Word of Mary, Mary has become the mother of Jesus and has been totally offered to the person and work of her Son. The knot of Eve’s disobedience has dissolved with Mary’s obedience. (CCC 494)
Visit to Elizabeth (LK.1,39-56)
John is full of Holy Spirit from the womb of his mother through the work of Christ himself. The visit of Mary to Elizabeth is thus becomes the visit of God to his people. Elizabeth is the first of the long ranks of generation who call Mary Blessed: “Blessed is he who has believed” (CCC 717,2676)
The announcement to Joseph. (MT1:18-25)
Joseph was called by God to take Mary with him so that Jesus would be born of Joseph’s Messianic descendants of David. The angel announces to Joseph, “you will call him Jesus, for he will save his people from his sins”. In Hebrew, Jesus means, “God Saves,” a name that at one time express his identity and mission. (CCC430;437;1846)
The birth of Jesus. (LK 2:1-20)
Jesus was born into the humility of a stable, in a poor family; Shepherds are the first witnesses of this event. In this poverty manifests the glory of heaven. Christmas is the mystery of this “marvelous exchange”: the Creator, made man without a work of man, gives his divinity. The mystery of Christmas takes place in us when Christ “forms” in us. (CCC 525,526)
The circumcision of Jesus. (LK 2:21)
The Circumcision of Jesus, eight days after his birth, is a sign of his inclusion in the descendants of Abraham, the people of the Covenant, of his submission to the Law, of his permission to worship of Israel to which he will participate throughout his life. This sign is the prefiguration of the “circumcision of Christ” which is Baptism. (CCC 527)
Presentation at the temple. (LK 2:22-38)
The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple shows him as the firstborn who belongs to the Lord. In Simeon and Anna, all Israel awaits its encounter with Savior. Jesus is recognized as the long-awaited Messiah, “the light of the people”, and “the glory of Israel”, but also as a “sign of contradiction”. The sword of sorrow predicted for Mary announces Christ’s perfect and unique oblation on the cross that will impart the salvation God had “prepared in the presence of all peoples”. (CCC 529)
Adoration of jesus by the Magi. (MT 2:1-12)
Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the Magi who came from the East. In the Magi, who representatives of the surrounding pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the Good News of Salvation through the Incarnation. (CCC 528)
The escape in to Egypt and massacre of the innocents. (MT 2:13-23)
The escape in to Egypt and the massacre of the innocents make manifest the opposition of darkness to the light: “He came to His own home and His own people did not welcome Him”, Christ’s whole life was lived under the sign of persecution. His own share it with him. Jesus’ departure from Egypt recalls the exodus and presents him as the definitive liberator of God’s people. (CCC 530)
The mysteries of Jesus’ hidden life at Nazareth. (LK 2:39-40,51-52)
During the greater part of his life Jesus shared the condition of the vast majority of human beings: a daily existence without evident greatness, a life of manual labor. His religious life was that of a Jew obedient to the law of God, a life in the community. In Jesus’ submission to His mother and His legal father, the perfect observance of the fourth commandment is realized, and the Holy Thursday submission is announced and anticipated: “not my will”. The hidden life at Nazareth allows everyone to enter into fellowship with Jesus by the most ordinary events of daily life. (CCC 531, 533)
The finding of Jesus in the temple. (LK 2:41-50)
Finding Jesus in the Temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus allows us a glimps of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: “Did you not know that I must be about my father’s work?” Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. (CCC 534)
Jesus is the King of the Universe because “all things were created through Him” and after the Fall, He redeemed the world. The universe belongs to him as Creator and as a Redeemer. This royalty, manifested by the garments and gifts, is recognized by the Church especially in the mysteries and the Feast of Epiphany, Ascension Day, and also the Feast of Christ the King.
The statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague depicts the small 2 / 3 years old. Infant Jesus standing upright position, dressed in the Spanish fashion of 1500 as a Little King. The red and all embroidered gold dress, crown on the head and in His left hand he holds an orb globe surmounted by a cross representing His Universal Kingship and his right hand is raised as in a priestly blessing.