SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 14TH

FEAST OF THE INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE | MEMORIAL OF SAINT FELIX OF NOLA, RELIGIOUS AND SAINT NINA (NINO), VIRGIN – FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 14TH: Today, we celebrate the feast of the Infant Jesus of Prague and the Memorial of Saint Felix of Nola and Saint Nina (Nino), Virgin. On this special feast of Infant Jesus of Prague with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we particularly pray for the sick and dying and we continue to pray for the repose of the gentle soul of all the faithful departed. 🙏

FEAST OF THE INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE: The Feast of the Infant Jesus of Prague celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation. The original statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague was created as a royal wedding gift from a Spanish Princess to her Austrian royal cousin. Legend has it that the statue was created by a monk who based it on an apparition he once saw of the Infant Jesus, and tradition holds that the original statue was once possessed by St. Teresa of Ávila. It was then given to María Manrique de Lara y Mendoza, a Spanish noblewoman in 1555 who in turn gave it to her daughter Princess Polyexa von Lobkowicz as a wedding gift in 1603. Their daughter, Princess Lobkowicz, gifted the statue to the Discalced Carmelite friars in Prague in 1628 as a loving offering to help the destitute order. She is said to have told the religious that she was giving them her most prized possession and, furthermore, that as long as they venerated the image, they would never be in want. And, sure enough, once the statue was given special devotions at the monastery attached to the Church of Our Lady of Victory in Prague, fortuitous events for the order started taking place.

The Statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague: The statue of the Infant is a slender and beautifully-modeled figure and is carved of wood thinly coated with wax, standing nineteen inches tall, with the left foot barely visable under a long white tunic. In His left hand, the Infant Jesus holds a miniature globe, surmounted by a cross, signifying the world-wide kingship of the Christ Child. The right hand is extended in blessing with the first two fingers being upraised to symbolize the two natures of Christ, Christ’s divine and human nature, while the folded thumb and last two fingers touch each other representing the unity of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit in the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. The face has a strange power of evoking sentiments of deep gratitude of the mystery of God-made-Man. For all His majestic posture and regal attire, the little King of Prague is more striking for His outward expression of human littleness than by the impression of hidden greatness. The wardrobe of the Infant is similar to the priest’s alb: one is of white linen, the other is of lace. Covering these is a dalmatic made of silk or velvet over which is worn a cape. It represents the Infant Jesus dressed in royal robes, wearing a crown. He is King of the Universe.

The home of the Infant Jesus of Prague is in the city of Prague, which is the capital of the Czech Republic. The original statue has been restored and preserved in the Carmelite church of Our Lady of Victory. The Church was returned to the Carmelites after the fall of Communism. According to history, later, the statue had been discarded in war and His hands destroyed. Found by a Carmelite, he fixed the hands and placed the statue in a place of honor in the Carmelite Church in Prague, Czech Republic. In 1637, as Fr. Cyril prayed before the Infant, he was filled with wonder, contemplating the loving God Who became a child for His people. Suddenly, the statue spoke to the stunned Carmelite: “Have mercy on Me and I will have mercy on you. Give Me hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor Me, the more I will bless you.” Many miracles have occurred through intercession to the Divine Infant. During one invasion, all the children of the city were taken to the Church for protection—praying to the Infant, they were all saved. For almost four centuries, this promise of protection and blessing has inspired devotion and love of the Infant Jesus of Prague. The statue provides spiritual uplift for millions of people who have adopted the Holy Infant’s call to humility, simplicity, and sincerity and to become little in order to become great and pleasing before Christ the King.

The Significance of the Infant Jesus of Prague: Devotion to the Miraculous Infant Jesus celebrates the “Child of God”—the great mystery of the Incarnation. The child in all of us believes in the humanity and divinity of Christ and rejoices in God’s caring and protective love for us. The Infant reminds us that God is holding us in the palm of His hand. By depicting Jesus as a child, the tradition of the Infant of Prague also emphasizes His humanity, and how we are children of God because of the salvation that He brings us. As Pope Benedict XVI said: “The figure of the Child Jesus, the tender infant, brings home to us God’s closeness and His love. We come to understand how precious we are in his eyes, because it is through Him that we in our turn have become children of God. Every human being is a child of God and therefore our brother or sister, to be welcomed and respected. May our society grasp this truth! Every human person would then be appreciated not for what he has, but for who he is, since in the face of every human being, without distinction of race or culture, God’s image shines forth.” The effective spiritual meditation is the reason why the Infant Jesus of Prague is so continuously appealing to human hearts all over the world, which he has so firmly in His hands. You can find His statue in almost any church, convent, monastery and house, representing a Divine Protection toward His devotees. He is the Patron Saint of children, family life, missions and those facing financial concerns.

PRAYER TO INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE FOR A SICK PERSON FOR HEALING: O most dear and sweet Infant Jesus, behold me, a poor suffering person who, sustained by a lively faith, invokes your divine aid to cure my infirmity. I put all my trust in you. I know that you can do all things and that you are most merciful, indeed you are yourself Infinite Mercy. O great little Infant, for the sake of your divine virtue and the immense love you bear for all the suffering, the oppressed and the needy, hear me, bless me, help me, console me. Amen🙏

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be (three times).

SAINT FELIX OF NOLA, RELIGIOUS: St. Felix of Nola a helper of the poor lived in the third century. He was the son of Hermias, a Syrian who had been a Roman soldier. He was born on his father’s estate at Nola near Naples, Italy. On the death of his father, St. Felix distributed his inheritance to the poor, was ordained by Bishop St. Maximus of Nola, and became his assistant. When Maximus fled to the desert at the beginning of Decius’ persecution of the Christians in 250, St. Felix was seized in his stead and imprisoned. He was reputedly released from prison by an angel, who directed him to the ailing Maximus, whom he brought back to Nola. Even after Decius’ death in 251, St. Felix was a hunted man but kept well hidden until the persecution ended. When Maximus died, the people unanimously selected Felix as their Bishop, but he declined the honor in favor of Quintus, a senior priest. St. Felix spent the rest of his life on a small piece of land sharing what he had with the poor, and died there on January 14, 260. His tomb soon became famous for the miracles reported there, and when St. Paulinus became bishop of Nola almost a century later (410), he wrote about his predecessor, the source of information about him, adding legendary material that had grown up about St. Felix in the intervening century. St. Paulinus of Nola (feast June 22), who cherished a special devotion toward St. Felix, composed fourteen hymns (carmina natalicia) in his honor. In his day (fifth century) the saint’s tomb was visited by pilgrims from far and wide and was noted for its miraculous cures. St. Felix is the Patron Saint Against eye disease; against eye trouble; against false witness; against lies; against perjury; domestic animals; eyes and a helper of the poor.

Saint Felix of Nola, Religious ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT NINA (NINO), VIRGIN: St. Nina (fl. III/IV Century) was a Virgin and the Apostle of Georgia, also listed as Christiana. Christianity was first brought to Georgia, Iberia, at the end of the 3rd century, and ancient tradition attributes this fact to the witness and apostolate of St. Nina. Saint Nina was born in Cappadocia. Tradition says she was a relative of St. George who travelled to Iberia (Georgia) to convert the people to Christianity. Scholars believe she was a slave to whom the name Nino (the Georgian form of Nina) was given; she has also been identified as Christiana. The quiet piety of her life and her preaching converted many people, and she won the respect of many locals with her patience and goodness and by the miracles she supposedly performed by her power to cure diseases in the name of Christ her God. Her prayers obtained the cure of a dying child. Brought to the royal palace, she cured Queen Nana of a seemingly incurable disease and enabled the King—when lost while hunting—to find his way again by calling on Christ. Saint Nina converted the queen and the king. Both rulers received instruction and Baptism from St. Nina. Saint Nina was free to teach and preach and she continued to preach throughout Georgia and she helped to found the Church in Georgia. Under Saint Nina’s direction, a church was erected in such wondrous fashion that the people began to clamor to become Christians also. Hence, the King sent a legate to Emperor Constantine, asking for Bishop and priests to continue and extend St. Nino’s work, and so the Faith came to this region along the Black Sea. St. Nina retired to the life of a hermitess, spending the rest of her life in prayer until her death at Bodke. A church dedicated to the memory of St. George was built on the site of her grave.

PRAYER: God, through St. Nina, Your Virgin, You enabled those without the Faith to pass from darkness to the light of truth. Grant us through her intercession to stand fast in the Faith and remain constant in the hope of the Gospel that she preached. Amen🙏