Prayers of Devotion to the Infant of Prague

Index
Devotional Prayers

1.  Prayer of Greeting

You exceeded all expectations.  In the first moment of Thy mortal existence Thou didst love me; and in that moment thy love was so great that Thu didst offer Thy life for me . . .  And what am I that Thou shouldst love me; what didst Thu see in me worthy of Thy love O sweetest child?  I am but dust and ashes and the work of Thy hands.  I am a wretched creature, my sins have made me worthy of all hatred, and nevertheless Thou hast loved me with an infinite love.  Ah! How good, and how compassionate must be Thy Heart!  All praise and benediction be then given to Thee, O most sweet, most lovable Infant now, and for all eternity.

2.  Prayer of Love

Oh! How inexpressibly sweet and amiable must thou be, most loving Jesus, since all the angels and saints rejoice in Thy presence and never tire of contemplating Thee.  O Thou most beautiful among the children of men, my soul loves thee, and my heart yearns after thee.  Thou art more beautiful than the moon, brighter than the sun, more charming than the dawn, more precious than jewels.  O my sweet, my loving, my most adorable Jesus, nothing in the world is so dear to me as Thou; and nothing delights me so much as Thou.  I would rather lose the friendship of all creatures than have the misfortune to lose or offend Thee.  Grant that I may love Thee ever more and more, and breath my last in an act of pure love.  Amen.

3.  Prayer to Mary, Mother of God

O Mary, refuge of sinners and consoler of the afflicted, to thee I come sinful and sorrowful, and beseech thee to show thyself a loving and merciful Mother to me.  If thou, my Mother, art near, Jesus too will be near, for where thou art, there is also thy son.

I unite my tears of repentance for my many sins with those which thou didst shed when for three days thou didst seek they beloved Son in Jerusalem.  O heavenly Mother, by the dying testament of thy Jesus on the cross when He bequeathed thee to me as Mother, let me never be so unhappy as to love Him who is my light, my joy and my life.  Lay, O Mary they divine Infant in my heart as thou didst once lay Him in the crib of Bethlehem, that, I may love and adore Him all the days of my life.  Yes, give me Jesus, my Savior my divine Child and dearly beloved Son.  Obtain from Him, who can refuse thee nothing, the grace that my soul may be a temple in which He can dwell with all His blessings.  Grant me but one spark of that love with which thou didst seek for Him in Jerusalem, so that with thee I may find my Jesus and never more lose Him for all Eternity.  Amen.

4.  Prayer for a Happy Death

draws nigh, then come Thou to me in holy viaticum; remain near me, dearest Jesus, and bring thy immaculate Mother and St. Joseph with Thee.  Alleviate my sufferings, banish my fears, help me to overcome all temptations, and give me grace willingly to offer up my life as a satisfaction for my sins, in the expectation of everlasting bliss in heaven.  O preserve me from a sudden and unprovided death; in Thine infinite goodness, grant that the lamp of sanctifying grace may never be extinguished in my soul, so that when Thou, my heavenly Bridegroom dost come, I may go forth to meet thee with my lamp burning, and not find the gates of heaven closed against me.

Whenever the hour may be in which thou wilt come, O Jesus, mayst thou ever find me ready.  With tears of repentance I raise my hands to Thee, and beseech Thee, O dearest little Jesus, let me not quit this world in sin, but grant me the grace to receive Thee with repentant love for a last time into my heart.  Be not to me a judge but a Savior.  Thy Father hath given all power into Thy hands.  O then, let thy sentence be one of gentleness and mercy, and not one of justice and severity.

Remember that, in order to save us, Thou didst come upon this earth as a weeping child; Thou wert wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger; and grant that I may reap the fruit of this thine infinite love and breath forth my soul to Thee in peace.  Amen.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, be with me in my last agony. 

5.  Hymn to the Infant Jesus of Prague

Little King, so fair and sweet,
see us gathered round Thy feet,
be thou Monarch of our school,
 it shall prosper ‘neath Thy rule.
We will be Thy subjects true,
Brave to suffer, brave to do
All our hearts to Thee we bring,
Take them, keep them, little King.

Raise Thy little Hand to bless
All our childhood’s happiness;
Bless our sorrow and our pain,
That each cross may be our gain.
By Thine own sweet childhood, Lord,
Sanctify each thought and world,
Set Thy seal on everything
Which we do, O little King.

Be our Teacher when we learn,
All the hard, to easy turn;
Be our Playmate when we play,
So we shall indeed be gay.
Keep us happy, keep us pure,
While our childhood shall endure,
All its days to Thee we bring,
Bless them, guard them, Little King.

Let us in the noisy world
Keep thy banner broad unfurled,
In an age of ease and pride
Leading Christian lives denied,
In an age which seeks its way,
Glad and cheerful to obey,
While thy simple truth shall ring
In word and act, O little King.

6.  Prayer in Thanksgiving to the Infant of Prague

O most gracious Infant Jesus, in humble adoration I offer You most fervent thanks for all the blessings you have bestowed upon me.  I shall always praise your ineffable mercy and confess that You alone are my God, my helper, and my protector.  Henceforth my entire confidence shall be placed in You.

Everywhere will I proclaim Your mercy and generosity, so that Your great love and the great deeds which You perform may be acknowledged by all.  May devotion to Your most holy Infancy extend more and more in the hearts of all Christians and may all who experience Your assistance persevere in returning unceasing gratitude to Your most holy Infancy to which be praise and glory for all eternity.  Amen.

7.  Prayer to the Infant Jesus of Prague

O Jesus Who has said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be open to you.  I ask, I seek, I knock, that my prayer be answered. (Mention your request).

O Jesus Who has said, "All that you ask of the Father in My name shall be granted to you," I humbly and urgently ask that my prayer be answered.  (Mention your request).

O Jesus Who has said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."  I feel confident that my prayer shall be answered.  (Mention your request).

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You.

8.  A Prayer to the Infant of Prague

Jesus, you decided to become a child, and I'm coming to you full of trust. 

I believe that your attentive love forestalls all my needs.  Even for the intercession of your holy Mother, you can meet my necessities, spiritual as well as material, if I pray according to your holy will.

I love you with all my heart, all my strength.  I beg your pardon if my weakness makes me sin.  I repeat with the Gospel, "Lord, if you want you can heal me".  I leave you decide how and when.  I'm ready to accept suffering, if this is your will, but help me not be become hardened to it, rather to bear fruit.

Help to be a faithful servant and for your sake, holy Child, to love my neighbor as myself.  Almighty Child, unceasingly I pray you to support me in my necessities of the present moment (mention your intentions).

Grant me the grace to remain in you, to be possessed and to possess you entirely, with your parents, Mary and Joseph, in the eternal praise of your heavenly servants.  Amen.

9.  Prayer

O Infant Jesus, I run to you, begging You through Your Holy Mother to save me in this need (mention your need), for I truly and firmly believe that Your Divinity can defend me.

Full of trust I hope in You to obtain Your holy grace.

I love You with all my heart, I am painfully sorry for my sins and on my knees I beg You, O Little Jesus, to free me from them.

My resolution is to improve and never more to offend You.

Therefore, I offer myself to You, ready to suffer everything for You and to serve You faithfully.

I will love my neighbor as myself from my heart for the love of You.

O Little Jesus, I adore You, O mighty child, I implore You, save me in this need (mention your need), that I may enjoy You eternally; and with Mary and Joseph to see You and with all the angels to adore You.  Amen.

Top
Index
Devotional Prayers

10.  Prayer of St. Thérèse to the Infant

O Jesus, dear Holy Child, my only treasure, I abandon myself to Thy every whim; I seek no other joy than that of calling forth Thy sweet smile.  Grant me the graces and the virtues of Thy holy childhood, so that on the day of my birth into heaven the angels and saints may recognize thy spouse, Thérèse of the Child Jesus.

11.  Prayer to the Infant

O Miraculous Infant Jesus!  We beseech You to cast a merciful look on our troubled hearts.  Let your tender heart, so inclined to pity, be softened at our prayers, and grant us that grace which we ardently implore (Mention your intention).  Take from us the affliction and despair, the trials and misfortunes with which we are laden.  For the sake of your sacred infancy hear our prayers and send us consolation and aid that we may praise You with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.  Amen.

12.  Two Prayers to the Infant of Prague

A.  Adorable infant Jesus, you not only humbled yourself to assume our human nature, but chose also to come to us as a little child, weakest and most defenseless.  Teach us, then, to learn the real greatness of humility and that human strength is made perfect in weakness by your divine aid.

Lovable infant Jesus, have mercy on us and help us in our need.  Let us rely alone on God, our most provident Father, who watches over us always.  By your grace may we approach our heavenly Father in confidence with a trust like that of a little child.

Admirable infant Jesus, have pity on our littleness and weakness and assist us by your divine power in our present necessity.  Please help us today to reverence all life and for your sake to love all other living things.  Amen.

B.  Lord, you made us a little less than the angels.

You have crowned us with glory and honor.

Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace and King of the Universe, you chose to come among us as a helpless infant in order that we might all approach you more readily, confidently, and fearlessly.

Please help us, our Infant King, to become like little children.  Please grant us the heavenly help we now seek.  Aid us from your throne on high to imitate your perfect love of God and man.  In your goodness, divine Child, manifest your power to all men, preserve us from sin, and bring us safe at last into your heavenly company.  Amen.