Growing up Protestant in Upstate New York, I was often witness to what seemed like exotic, and sometimes strange Catholic customs.
One custom that I still can’t quite understand is worship not of Jesus, but of the Little Baby Jesus instead. Many Catholics displayed large Infant of Jesus dolls in the back windows of their cars. I used to hear Catholics talking about acts that would upset the Little Baby Jesus, or that you should pray to the Little Baby Jesus instead of the regular long-haired adult Jesus, because such prayers are somehow more powerful. If there was loud thunder, you’ll sometimes hear parents telling their kids that “the little Baby Jesus is mad at you.”
Do some Catholics believe that there are two distinct and separate Jesii, with one manifested as a baby, the other as an adult? What’s the deal?
The dressed up baby is usually called the Infant of Prague, by the way, after the most famous baby Jesus statue, located in, you guessed it, Prague.
Speaking as a person of the specific group you mentioned in your OP (a Catholic person from Buffalo), I will agree that the Baby Jesus is A Force To Be Reckoned With in upstate New York. Just about every Sunday, I remember my grandmother chasing some young cousin around the house, yelling “Please REMOVE the Infant of Prague from the Barbie Corvette!”
But there are not two distinct personages of Jesus. Catholics do use different representations of Jesus to emphasize various points, depending on the situation. You might also be familiar with the Good Shepherd, or the Sacred Heart (sometimes a shocker, that one), or the Throne of Wisdom. I’m sure someone can explain the theological significance in more detail and with greater accuracy, but in layman’s terms, a Catholic might turn to a particular representation to focus on a specific aspect of Jesus. The Infant of Prague is often used to emphasize the divine incarnation.
In a more cultural sense, I think parents whip out the Little Baby Jesus scenario because they think kids will relate to another kid. And – I’m trying to say this tactfully – I think it also has a certain appeal to women of an older generation, because of the relation to motherhood.
I recall that some time in the middle ages, it started becoming popular for Catholics to make prayers not to Jesus but to the Virgin Mary.
(Note: When I say “I recall” this, I mean I read it somewhere. I do not mean that I was actually around in the middle ages to witness it first-hand. )
The reasoning for this shift was that Jesus was seen as a “cold, indifferent” figure who was way too stand-offish to come to your aid in time of need. The Virgin Mary was, of course, a loving mother figure who would take care of you.
This might be what’s happening with the Little Baby Jesus thing. Big, bad, adult Jesus might be seen as too uptight and/or threatening, so a cute little baby is worshipped instead.
One of my ex-girlfriends, a staunch Catholic, had a cartoon she loved. It showed the Virgin Mary looking at the Infant of Prague and saying:
“I dont care who You are, You’re nt going out dressed like that!”
Mral: Not all Catholics love the Infant of Prague. We had one in our church, and he elaborate costum got canged once a month. I don’t know anyone who prayed to it – it seemed more like a boy Barbie doll for the Nuns.
If the most potent image of Jesus is of the crucifixion, the second most potent is that of the nativity. Why? Because the observances of these two episodes are the two most reverently attended holidays. (Granted, Easter Sunday commemorates the resurrection – but Jesus was nowhere to be found.)
Your stereotypical Catholic (and CofE) pay little attention to their religiou outside of Christmas and Easter. Given this, it’s hardly surprising that the Infant Jesus holds equal attention with crucified adult Jesus; both episodes occupy equal parts of a Catholic’s annual consciousness.
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