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The Holy Infant in Prague
As the Infant of Prague was having much success reaching the people in Italy, especially in Arenzano, worship was non-existent in the war-torn Czech Kingdom. Any devotion, including devotion to the Infant of Prague, was a dim, fading memory to the very old; and not even that to the young only exposed to the athetisic church, allowed by the Communists, who had taken over their land.
The Carmelite friars were unable to reopen the friary, no less the church where the Infant of Prague remained miraculously untouched. Only a few older worshippers would go and pray before the Infant of Prague, at the risk of their lives had they been caught. They prayed unceasingly for peace and the restoration of their country once more to freedom from tyranny. They were tired, but not without hope. They believed that the Child Jesus, Who is King of kings can and will do anything for His children.
As long as there are those who believe, even one soul, the Church will not die. Carmelite Nuns were deported and sent far from Prague, but that did not stop them from spreading devotion to the Infant. They painted pictures of the Infant of Prague and those who remained in their native land clandestinely secreted them out of the Czech Kingdom to other convents in Europe.
In 1989, the Berlin wall fell, and through the grace of God, during the
"Velvet Revolution" the Communist government in the Czech Kingdom also fell and the Czech Republic rose, with at last freedom to worship. The churches and the friaries were reopened. The new Archbishop invited the Carmelites to return and handed over custodianship of the Church of Our Lady of the Victories to them. In 1994, two young Carmelites left Arenzano for Prague, their focus to bring back devotion to the Infant of Prague and to foster the Carmelite Order in this vocation-rich country. Devotion to the statue had gonefrom Prague to Arenzano; now it would go from Arenzano to Prague, like an unbroken circle of life. Jesus said that even should He order the disciples to cease hailing Him King, the very stones would cry out. And so, it is with the Roman Catholic Church and the Infant of Prague.
Edith Stein - Saint Teresa Blessed by the Cross
I would like to close this chapter with a quotation by Edith Stein. In 1942, although surrounded by horror and devastation, months before she was to die a Martyr in Auschwitz, Edith Stein, (Carmelite Sister Teresa Blessed by the Cross, later canonized
Saint Teresa Blessed by the Cross) prophesied the ultimate victory of good over evil:"Jesus, the Child of Prague, eternally bears an imperial crown and it is not by chance that he appeared with the fullness of His Power in Prague.
"Prague has been for centuries the seat of the ancient German rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and to this day gives an impression of great majesty.
"For isn’t He the Heavenly Ruler, Who will put an end to every suffering? He holds the reins in His Hands even if human beings think they rule by themselves."
"And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to Him, `Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’ He answered, `I tell you if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.’"
Luke 19:39-40For more on Martyr Edith Stein, please read Bob and Penny Lord’s book, "Martyrs, They died for Christ."
quotation by Saint Edith Stein (or Saint Teresa Blessed by the Cross), taken from The Little King by Sister Giovanna della Croce c.sc
The Nazi regime ended and a new tyranny began. From 1948 until 1989,
Czechoslovakia was ruled by a communist government under the occupation
and domination of the U.S.S.R. (or Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics). Tired
of being under another iron fist, an underground army rose;
and through them a bloodless coup brought about the end
of communist rule in Czechoslovakia. Because of its dove-like, peaceful
character, the coup was dubbed the
Velvet
Revolution. In 1989, after the fall of
communism, Czechoslovakia was restructured as two individual independent
nations - the Czech Republic and Slovkia, as they are known till today.
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