Villa la Paz Newsletter December 2015
Incarnation: Christian Theol. Effectuation of the hypostatic union through the conception of the Second Person of the Trinity in the womb of the Virgin Mary
Hypostasis: Christian Theol. The union of the wholly divine nature and of a wholly human nature in the one person of Jesus Christ
Kenosis: Christian Theol. The voluntary abasement of the Second person of the Trinity in becoming man
Webster’s New World Dictionary New College Edition
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 came to be through Him and without him nothing came to be. What came to be 4 through Him was life, and this life was the light of the human race, 5 the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory of the Father’s only son full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5, 14
No room! The Creator of the universe finds no room in His creation! The God of all creation is refused a welcome by those from Whom they received life! Almighty God is born in a hovel for animals, Whose throne is a manger, and Whose adoring court are a humble couple and poor shepherds from the hillside who were tending sheep! What mystery of love! Here is a total emptying! How can we question that God understands our human condition?
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, O.F.M Cap.
Christ was born not because there was joy in the world, but because there was suffering in it. He was born not to riches, but to poverty; not to satiety, but to hunger and thirst; not to security, but to danger, homelessness, destitution, and crucifixion.
His Incarnation now, in us, is in the suffering world as it is. It is not reserved for a utopia that will never be; it does not differ from His first coming in Bethlehem, His birth in squalor, in dire poverty, in a strange city. It is the same birth here and now. There is Incarnation always, everywhere.
Caryll Houselander
The Incarnation was not a single event that occurred once, never to be repeated again. The Incarnation continues. God becomes incarnate in the poor, the sick, the addicted, and the lost. God’s love continues to thrust Him into the universe, to guide it, to care for it, and put it at man’s service. In our busy lives we forget that all is ordained or permitted by God, that nothing occurs by chance, that God’s will prevails in every act of created existence. In times of distress and pain we must remember that the Incarnate God knew such trials and even greater ones and showed us how to confront them with forgiveness and love. Yes, the Incarnation continues, not only in the suffering of the world but also in the smile of a child, the love shared between a husband and wife and between children and their parents, in our love for one another and wherever joy abounds. To realize this, that the Incarnation is present in our sorrows and our joys, should enable us to conquer all doubts, all misgivings about the presence of God in our midst and His unconditional, unfailing love. All of our energies, all of our thoughts are usually placed in more immediate circumstances: a deadline at work, illness in the family, loss of employment, the death of a close friend. All of these can blur the transcendent presence of God in our lives. We must stop our frenetic activities and experience God’s Incarnation in the daily events of our lives. At the first Incarnation there was no room for Him in the inn. In His daily incarnations in our lives we must make room for Him in our hearts or our lives will have no meaning. He humbly waits for our response.
The children of the world are the greatest exponents of the Incarnation. Their conception is brought about by love as God’s Incarnation was the result of love. They require our care and benevolence as God required the care of His earthly parents. They love unconditionally as does their Creator. They bring hope into the world as God’s Incarnation suffused the universe with hope by bringing light into darkness and conquering death with life.
We can see every human birth as a call for new hope in the world. The love of two human beings has joined with God in His creative work. The loving parents have shown hope in a world filled with travail. The new child has the potential to be a channel of God’s love and peace to the world.
AmericanCatholic.org Reflection on the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary September 8, 2013
Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility.
Kate Douglas Wiggin
We thank you for enabling us to care for our children. May the Incarnation of the Son of God be a daily event and source of joy in your lives. Have a Blessed Christmas and Fulfilling New Year. We love you and wish you God’s peace.