Probably not the way you usually hear that, is it?
But it is important to remember, probably all the more as those around us seem to forget it!
We so often have the following image in mind when we hear the word "Christmas": a small child wrapped in swaddling clothes (what exactly is "swaddling", anyway?) sleeping in a straw-lined wooden box, surrounded by barnyard animals and lovingly looked down upon by Mary and Joseph. As that is drawn in part from the account found in the Gospel according to Luke, it is probably a good picture to have. But what more is there to that?
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14). The New Testament teaches with great certainty that the eternal Son of God, taking human nature from Mary his mother, united it to his Divine Person and lived a fully human existence so that he could be our resurrection and life. This could only come from a God who cares deeply about His creatures to enter in such a union with them.
As the beginning of the Gospel according to John indicates, in order to understand the mystery of the Incarnation - what we commonly call Christmas - we must be open to the idea of a "descending" Christology: starting from an eternal nature, the second Person of the Trinity entered into history; the cause of the becoming of creatures began a life of becoming on his own. For the Word incarnate, becoming marked God's intimate involvement with His creatures, something completely unheard of in history and unknown to any faith system that preceded it. To become flesh is more that just taking on flesh or putting on flesh. To become points towards a deep and intimate involvement of the person.
This is further emphasized by St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians: "though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself" (Philippians 2:6-8). Christ abandoned His heavenly riches and becomes poor in order to win heavenly goods for human beings. "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 460).
The Incarnation took place without any diminishment of the the divine Person. In an act of astounding wisdom, God showed the capacity of freedom and love. As St. Augustine commented: "If Jesus was also weak, this was due to his own fullness of power" (City of God, VIII, 17). Losing none of his divine nature, the human nature of Jesus allowed him to interact with his disciples and other individuals of the Gospel
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14). The New Testament teaches with great certainty that the eternal Son of God, taking human nature from Mary his mother, united it to his Divine Person and lived a fully human existence so that he could be our resurrection and life. This could only come from a God who cares deeply about His creatures to enter in such a union with them.
As the beginning of the Gospel according to John indicates, in order to understand the mystery of the Incarnation - what we commonly call Christmas - we must be open to the idea of a "descending" Christology: starting from an eternal nature, the second Person of the Trinity entered into history; the cause of the becoming of creatures began a life of becoming on his own. For the Word incarnate, becoming marked God's intimate involvement with His creatures, something completely unheard of in history and unknown to any faith system that preceded it. To become flesh is more that just taking on flesh or putting on flesh. To become points towards a deep and intimate involvement of the person.
This is further emphasized by St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians: "though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself" (Philippians 2:6-8). Christ abandoned His heavenly riches and becomes poor in order to win heavenly goods for human beings. "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 460).
The Incarnation took place without any diminishment of the the divine Person. In an act of astounding wisdom, God showed the capacity of freedom and love. As St. Augustine commented: "If Jesus was also weak, this was due to his own fullness of power" (City of God, VIII, 17). Losing none of his divine nature, the human nature of Jesus allowed him to interact with his disciples and other individuals of the Gospel
era in person. It allows us to place a human face on the Creator and, more importantly, through the Eucharist we actually become what we eat!
In this season of gift-giving and visiting relatives and friends, let's never forget the great gift we have been given and the most important person who has visited us: Jesus Christ, God-made-Man, who humbled himself to share in our humanity so that we could share in His divinity!
In this season of gift-giving and visiting relatives and friends, let's never forget the great gift we have been given and the most important person who has visited us: Jesus Christ, God-made-Man, who humbled himself to share in our humanity so that we could share in His divinity!
It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.
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