Day 7: Patron of Children

The seventh day of the Infant of Prague Novena turns to one of the most distinctive of the saint's patronages: the Christ Child of the statue is the patron of all Catholic children. The Catholic devotion has been particularly developed in connection with the spiritual and physical care of the young, and the Catholic faithful are invited on this seventh day to bring before the Infant of Prague the children of their own families, parishes, and communities.

Today's invocation

O Most gracious Infant Jesus, I have recourse to You... (the full opening prayer)

Today's meditation

The Catholic patronage of the Infant of Prague over children rests on the Lord's own affection for the young, expressed in the Gospel: "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14). The Lord Jesus, who was Himself a child in His Sacred Humanity, has a particular care for the children of the Catholic Church. The Infant of Prague, the Lord in the form of a child, is therefore the natural Catholic intercessor for children of every age.

The traditional Catholic occasions for invoking the Infant of Prague on behalf of children include:

• At the birth of a Catholic child, when the parents place the new infant under the patronage of the Christ Child.
• At the time of Catholic Baptism, often as a complement to the family's Baptism preparation.
• At First Communion, when the child receives the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time.
• At Confirmation, when the young Catholic receives the seal of the Holy Spirit.
• At any moment of the child's serious illness or the child's particular need.
• For Catholic children who have grown into rebellious adolescence or who have fallen away from the faith.

The Catholic devotion has particular fruit in the spiritual formation of children. Children's natural piety is nurtured by the visible, tangible Catholic devotional images: the small statue of the Christ Child in the home, the Christmas crèche, the family rosary in front of the Marian image, the saints' holy cards. The Catholic family that places the Infant of Prague in a visible place in the home is, almost without effort, beginning the Catholic formation of children: they grow up seeing the Christ Child each day, learning to greet Him each morning and night, gradually internalizing the Catholic disposition that will, in adulthood, be the foundation of their lifelong Catholic life.¹

Today's intention

Today, in addition to your principal intention, name to the Infant of Prague the children in your life. Be specific. Divine Infant Jesus, who as a child grew up in the home of Joseph and Mary, bless and protect the children of my family: (name them). Bless and protect the children of my parish and my community. Through Your maternal care, bring them to the maturity of the Catholic faith and to the eternal life of the Beatific Vision.

If you are a parent, today is the appropriate moment to renew the Catholic disciplines of the household for the children's spiritual formation. The principal disciplines are: the daily family prayer (often the family rosary or a portion of it), the regular family Mass attendance (Sunday is the minimum; weekly daily Masses are even better when possible), the reading of Catholic stories of the saints to the children, the keeping of the liturgical year in the home, the periodic family pilgrimage to a Catholic shrine.

Reflection

The Catholic spiritual tradition has long observed that children's spiritual formation is principally the work of the parents and the broader Catholic family rather than principally the work of the parish school or religious-education program. The parish supports the family; it does not replace the family. The Catholic family that has placed the children under the patronage of the Infant of Prague through daily devotion is the family in which the Catholic faith is most likely to be transmitted to the next generation.

The Infant of Prague Novena, with its seventh day's emphasis on the children, is the Catholic invitation to renew this family apostolate.

Closing prayers

Conclude with the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be.

Divine Infant Jesus, patron of children, bless and protect the young of our families and our Catholic community.

Footnotes

1. The Catholic devotion to children's spiritual formation is treated in many magisterial documents, principally Pope Saint John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio (apostolic exhortation, 22 November 1981), the foundational modern Catholic document on the family. ↩