{"id":20985,"date":"2015-12-28T12:29:27","date_gmt":"2015-12-28T17:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/?p=20985"},"modified":"2015-12-28T12:36:54","modified_gmt":"2015-12-28T17:36:54","slug":"the-infant-of-prague-warrior-for-our-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/2015\/12\/the-infant-of-prague-warrior-for-our-times.html","title":{"rendered":"The Infant of Prague – Warrior for Our Times"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Knight<\/a>
Knight by Victor Vasnetsov<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

I have to admit that the Infant of Prague was one of those Catholic devotions that was not immediately accessible to me as a convert.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp me out here. What\u2019s with Jesus dressed up as a baby doll?\u201d<\/p>\n

But some time ago I had an experience that made me realize that the Infant Jesus\u2013and especially the Infant of Prague image is not just a baby doll, but the image of a Knight in White Armor\u2013the Infant who is also a Warrior King.<\/p>\n

While on a visit to lead a parish mission in Oklahoma I had the chance to visit the\u00a0National Shrine of the Infant of Prague<\/a>\u00a0in Prague, Oklahoma. (They pronounce it Prage).<\/p>\n

While I was there I had a religious experience that opened my heart to the Infant of Prague. In the end I bought an image of the Infant \u00a0for my little oratory\u00a0and learned to appreciate this not immediately winsome devotion. I can remember I felt\u00a0happy about this: \u201cI like the Infant of Prague now! I guess that means I\u2019m\u00a0really<\/b><\/i>\u00a0a Catholic at last\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it happened: readers\u00a0should understand that the Infant of Prague is very alien to the typical Bob Jones graduate\u2026The first impression is, \u201cGood heavens! Why is baby Jesus dressed up like that? Isn\u2019t it all a bit over the top? Isn\u2019t thatt some kind of fancy Catholic idol or what?\u201d But putting my prejudice on one side and wanting to \u2018affirm and not deny\u2019 I learned about the history of the devotion and was given a very nice tour of the shrine including a look at a cupboard full of all the different outfits they had for him.<\/p>\n

So I wanted to try to understand this (what seemed to me) a rather\u00a0unusual devotion. Then I learned that the Infant of Prague actually started out with Saint Theresa of Avila. She had a devotion to the child Jesus. Bingo! A connection with my favorite Therese of Lisieux who also had a devotion to the child Jesus and spiritual childhood and spiritual innocence. I mean, I actually wrote a book about the Little Way.<\/a>..so I\u2019m beginning to get it.<\/p>\n

So after the tour I thought I\u2019d kneel down and see if I could get hold of this a little bit more. As I\u2019m kneeling I begin to understand the child dressed in royal robes and crown, for the whole image tells us that although he was a child born naked and squawking in a stable he was at the same time the royal prince of the house of David. He was a simple child, yet King of Kings and Lord of Lords.\u00a0Furthermore, this is my destiny. I cannot enter the kingdom unless I become as a little child, but to enter the kingdom and be a royal adopted prince, a Son of God and a brother of Jesus is my ultimate destiny.<\/p>\n

Then as I\u2019m kneeling there I begin to see that this child is more than that. Much more.\u00a0Continue Reading<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have to admit that the Infant of Prague was one of those Catholic devotions that was not immediately accessible to me as a convert. \u201cHelp me out here. What\u2019s with Jesus dressed up as a baby doll?\u201d But some time ago I had an experience that made me realize that the Infant Jesus\u2013and especially […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":557,"featured_media":20986,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Infant of Prague - Warrior for Our Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I have to admit that the Infant of Prague was one of those Catholic devotions that was not immediately accessible to me as a convert. 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