- St. Thomas Aquinas
This morning I was overwhelmed by the idea of the Incarnation. For St. Thomas, these two truths- the divinity of the Blessed Trinity and Christ's humanity - were foundational. These were the two pillars of his theology and philosophy, it seems to me. Everything else flowed from those two great doctrines. If anything was his secret formula to success as a Christian, these were it.
It is never a waste of time to contemplate the mystery of the Trinity and the mystery of the Incarnation - God with us.
I was also overwhelmed by the thought that Christ was born in a moment of time - real time. It's another aspect of His humanity and the fact that He entered this world just like all of us. Even though He is eternal God, He limited Himself as far as His humanity goes to an instant we call birth.
Of course, that assumes His conception at a specific moment in time as well. Of course, His conception was unlike any other human being's conception. It was of the Holy Spirit, not of any human father.
So, He is the God-man. God because He is God, and man because He has a human mother, Mary. He was conceived while she was still a Virgin, and she remained a Virgin after He was born. The Virgin gave birth!
Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Quoting Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Traditionally, the moment of Christ's birth is celebrated at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve. I love that tradition. No, not so much because that was the very moment, since my time zone is many hours behind Israel's. 12 hours if I remember right.
It's that remembering Christ's moment of birth and fixing a time like tradition does, tells us of the reality of the Incarnation. Christ was conceived at a specific time, and he entered this world at a specific time.
Then there is this sublime passage. I remember when I was young falling in love with John 1:1-18.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God....14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ... 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God,[e] who is at the Father's side,[f] he has made him known.
John 1 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as awitness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own,[b] and his own people[c] did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.[d] 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God,[e] who is at the Father's side,[f] he has made him known.
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