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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
The Infant Jesus	Anthony	Sunday, October 15, 2017
Question: I have a statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague in my home. A non Catholic friend asked me why Catholics. have devotion and pray to Jesus as an infant when He is no longer an infant and ascended into Heaven with a glorified body at age 33? I said that we're just honoring Jesus's infancy but he didn't seem convinced. I remember reading that St. Joseph appeared with the Infant Jesus during the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima on October 13, 1917. Could it be that Our Lord can appear as an infant or a child if He wills it? Thanks for your reply, Brother and God bless!
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD Dear Anthony: Our Lord can appear as a child if that is His wills. As an EWTN article on the history of the devotion states, "The devotion to the Holy Child Jesus has long been a tradition of the Catholic Church for a very long time. This devotion is a veneration of our Lord's sacred Infancy." This is my own opinion, but I think one reason for this devotion to the Infant Jesus is to focus on the fact that Jesus was fully man and fully God, even as an infant. His intercessory mission was not just as an adult who died on the Cross for us, but was true during His entire life on earth, even as an infant, and remains so today. The child Jesus also reminds us that God humbled Himself to become a man. He did not just become a man fully grown, but humbled Himself to be born as we are all born and to live under the authority of his earthly parents. By this, Jesus God experienced all that mankind experienced except sin. We know that our God understands. I hope that helps. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

The Infant Jesus

Anthony

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Question:

I have a statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague in my home. A non Catholic friend asked me why Catholics. have devotion and pray to Jesus as an infant when He is no longer an infant and ascended into Heaven with a glorified body at age 33? I said that we're just honoring Jesus's infancy but he didn't seem convinced. I remember reading that St. Joseph appeared with the Infant Jesus during the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima on October 13, 1917. Could it be that Our Lord can appear as an infant or a child if He wills it? Thanks for your reply, Brother and God bless!

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD

Dear Anthony:

Our Lord can appear as a child if that is His wills.

As an EWTN article on the history of the devotion states, "The devotion to the Holy Child Jesus has long been a tradition of the Catholic Church for a very long time. This devotion is a veneration of our Lord's sacred Infancy."

This is my own opinion, but I think one reason for this devotion to the Infant Jesus is to focus on the fact that Jesus was fully man and fully God, even as an infant. His intercessory mission was not just as an adult who died on the Cross for us, but was true during His entire life on earth, even as an infant, and remains so today.

The child Jesus also reminds us that God humbled Himself to become a man. He did not just become a man fully grown, but humbled Himself to be born as we are all born and to live under the authority of his earthly parents.

By this, Jesus God experienced all that mankind experienced except sin. We know that our God understands.

I hope that helps.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum