Paul wrote about his own physical pain :

But to keep me from being puffed up with pride because of the  many wonderful things I saw, I was given a painful physical ailment, which acts as Satan’s  messenger to beat me and to keep me from being proud.Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked Him to take it away, But His answer was: ” My Grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when we are weak.” I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection  of Christ’s power  over me. I am content with weaknesses , insults, hardships , persecutions  and difficulties for Christ’s sake . For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a place of safety in times of trouble.

Those who know you , Lord , will trust you; you do not abandon anyone who comes to You.

Sing praise to the Lord, who rules the Zion! Tell every nation what He has done !

God remembers  those who suffer; He does not forget their cry, and He punishes those who wrong them.

Psalm 9:9-12

Today the Church celebrates the memory of Saints Nereus and Achileus, martyrs who, as Pope Saint Damasas relates, had enrolled for military service, impelled by fear, were prepared to serve the ungodly commands of civil authority but after being converted to the true God, threw off their shields , military decorations and weapons, left camp, and , professing faith in Christ, rejoiced in his victory. Their bodies were laid to rest  on this very day at Rome  in the Catacomb of Domitilla  in the Via Ardeatina.

Prayer

Father, we honor Saints Nereus and Achileus for their courage  in dying to profess their faith in Christ. May we experience the help of their prayers at the throne of Your mercy. Grant  this through our Lord  Jesus Christ , your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. +Amen

The devotion to the Infant Jesus is a tradition of the Catholic Church for a long time. Many saints have a strong devotion to the Divine Child , notably, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua and St. Teresa of Avila.

The history of the child Jesus started in Prague during the 17th century when the statue of the Infant Jesus was brought into Bohemia (now Czech Republic) and was given to the Discalced Carmelites in Prague. Since then, the statue has remained in Prague and has drawn many devotees worldwide to honor the Holy Child.

The popularity of the Child Jesus grew in the Baroque period in Spain which may have been caused by the visions of St. Teresa of Avila.  A number of sculptures  made in Spain found their way to Prague, made mostly of wax, ivory and bronze and were dressed in garments which reflected the aristocratic style of the period.

It is speculated that that the statue came from a monastery in Bohemia and from there was obtained by Dona Isabella Manrique  who gave it as a wedding gift to her daughter Marie Manrique who married a Czech noble. The statue was again given to Polyxena , Marie’s daughter as a wedding gift in 1587. In 1628, Lady Polyxena presented the statue  to the Carmelites  at the Church of the Virgin Mary the Victorious  in Mala Strana saying, ” I am giving you the most esteem of my possessions. Keep the sculpture in reference and you will be well off”. This statue then became known as the Infant Jesus of Prague. It stands 47 cm. high and has a long gown around the wax body.

Shortly after 1628, the Saxons and the Swedes  took turns to invade Prague  and the Carmelites had to flee and the veneration of the Holy Infant ceased.  It was not until 1638 that a young priest named Fr. P. Cyril, a Matre Dei, returned to Prague and found the Holy Infant statue  buried in the ruins  of the Lady of Victory church. Fr. Cyril cleaned the statue and placed it in the oratory for worship. While he was praying  before the Infant Jesus, he heard the Infant Jesus say, “Have pity on Me and I will have pity on you. Give Me My hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor Me, the more I will bless you”.

The repairing of the statue’s hand was a miracle since Fr.Cril and his peers did not have the financial resources nor the know-how to repair it. Through prayer, Fr. Cyril asked the Blessed Virgin Mary in several occassions to provide the necessary funds for fixing  the Infant statue. The Divine Infant spoke to him again, “Place me near the entrance of the sacristy and you will receive aid”. Fr. Cyril then did what he was told and in a few day’s time, the statue was fixed by a man who came to the sacristy to offer help.

Since the statue was fixed , a number of miracles had occurred and the word began to spread, resulting in a large increase of veneration to the Holy Child.

In 1641, an altar was built for the Infant Jesus in the church, and in 1644 a chapel eas built, but was not completed until 1654. Many nobles of the time  had greatly supported the Infant Jesus, among them were Lady Polyxena, King Ferdinand (Czech). King Charles Gustav (Sweden), and Bernard Ignatius of the Lords of Martinic. It is interesting to note that the crown over the Divine Infant’s head came from Bernard Ignatius, who presented the Infant statue with a little gold crown set with precious stones and jewels on January 14, 1651 during a procession that carried the Infant Jesus statue from the Lady of Victory church to other Prague churches. The Infant Jesus was solemnly coronated on April 4, 165 by the Archbishop Josef Corta acting for Cardinal Harrach III who was sick.

After that period, Prague went through more wars and unrest  but the church and the Infant Jesus chapel was miraculously protected. In 1776, the altar was rebuilt using marble and two huge scultures of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph were placed  on the left and right sides of the altar. The Holy Infant was kept in a glass case standing on a pedestal engraved with crystals, surrounding the Infant were twenty angels in gold.

Since then copies of the Infant Jesus were made and distributed in many European churches. The Spanish colonial efforts later brought the Infant Jesus to the Philippines and to central America. And since then, the devotion has kept spreading to all parts of the world.