# Prayer to the Child Jesus for hopeless cases
*2016-01-19*

> Bill Young reflects on the life of St. Pope Fabian and introduces a powerful prayer to the Child Jesus for those facing seemingly impossible situations.

## The Life of St. Pope Fabian

Today is Tuesday, January 19th, the feast day of St. Pope Fabian. Fabian is not a well-known Pope; he was our 20th Pope, but the story of his election is very interesting. At the time the Church was deciding on a new pope, Fabian was a layperson from the country who had come into Rome to see what was happening. While he was there, a dove landed on his forehead. Everyone believed this was a sign from God to elect him, and so they did.

For most of his fourteen years as Pope, his tenure was peaceful, and he was able to build new churches. However, the pagans became upset with the success of the Christians. The authorities demanded that everyone declare they were not Christians and were loyal to Caesar. Those who refused were martyred. Pope Fabian, of course, declared that he was a Christian and believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the year 250, he was martyred.

## Praying for the Persecuted

We ask St. Fabian to pray for all of us, especially for those in countries where there is no freedom of religion. We pray that they may be set free. In that spirit, we are very happy to hear that our friend, a missionary in Iran, has been released. God bless him and his family.

## Hope for the Hopeless

Today we are offering a special prayer called the Prayer to the Child Jesus for Hopeless Cases. We pray for all those who may be ill, those who are depressed, and all those who feel that their cases are hopeless. Anything is possible when you have faith and pray to our Lord Jesus Christ.

## The Prayer to the Child Jesus

Remember, O Holy Child Jesus, the sweet promise which You made to Your dear disciple, the venerable Margaret, regarding the most holy Sacrament of the Altar, when You addressed her with those beautiful words which anointed her broken soul with a balsam of heavenly consolation: 'Take recourse to My Heart. Every time you wish to obtain a grace, ask for the merits of My holy infancy, and I will not refuse to grant it to you.'

With full confidence in Your promise, here I am at Your feet, O Divine Child. I have come to place my needs before You. Help me to live a holy life so that one day I may reach our heavenly home. Through the merits of Your infancy, through the intercession of Your most lovable Mother, and of the holy archangels Michael and Gabriel, grant me the grace for which I now implore: [insert your specific grace here].

My own request is for my family to have a strong faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and to practice that faith. I ask it with lively hope because You know how much I need it. O sweet Child, do not let my hopes be deluded. I trust in Your tenderness and in the mercy of Your divine heart, certain that You will hear my prayer.

*No matter how hopeless a situation may seem, all things are possible through faith and the merits of the holy infancy of Jesus.*