Joe Catholic: The Incarnation

Saturday, December 15, 2012

The Incarnation

What is the Incarnation?

The simple answer is Jesus is the Incarnation, the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is the Word made flesh (see John 1:14). The Incarnation describes “the union of the divine and human natures in the one divine Person of the Word.” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #86).

When we recite the Nicene Creed, we profess our faith in Jesus Christ, “true God” and “one in being with Father.” “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” We are professing our belief that Jesus is fully human and fully God.

The Ultimate Sacrament

A sacrament is defined as a sensible sign, instituted by Jesus Christ, by which invisible grace and inward sanctification are communicated to the soul. Jesus is God made present among us – the ultimate grace made visible! Jesus is the ultimate sign of God’s salvation in the world – the center and means of God’s encounter with us. Thus, he is the original Sacrament.

The sacraments reflect this mystery in two ways first. All of the sacraments make use of visible matter to demonstrate an invisible grace. Additionally all of them pour out of Christ’s side. Each either initiates union with Him or confirms and solidifies that relationship. For example, Baptism initiates one into the Body of Christ and prepares one for eventual confirmation and reception of the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

The Hidden Years of Christ

Of Jesus' thirty-three years, thirty were spent in silence and obscurity, submission and work. These hidden years are not a period of darkness, but rather illuminate for us the meaning of our own ordinary lives. He adds grace to our “hidden lives.” Everything Christ did was with meaning. Since He was perfect in every way, all of his actions had meaning. In this way, the Incarnation is not just about God humbling Himself to become man, but also about Him raising the nature of Man (See: Christ is Passing By #14, St. Josemaria Escriva).

This provides us with a framework to draw meaning from our own daily work, even the menial tasks. Like I've said before, this even includes taking out the trash or unloading the dish washer. This also includes the relationships we keep, like honoring our parents. (See: Luke 2: 51) It also means there is meaning and opportunities for sanctification in the way we maintain our friendships. Jesus had many friendships, but none better chronicled in scripture than that with the family of friends in Bethany - Lazarus, Martha and Mary (See: John 11:1-12:11)

Scripture also depicts how Christ's teaches us how to pray (Matt 6:6-15). Finally, His passion, death and resurrection demonstrate that God can and does permit suffering to draw out a greater good.