Villa La Paz Newsletter December 2021
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 (in full hypostatic union)
Kenosis: Christian Theol.
The voluntary abasement of the second person of the Trinity in becoming man
Webster’s New World Dictionary
Third 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
It is a momentous indication of His crimson passion that our Lord should have been born in a strange place, in mid winter, in the depth of the night, outside the inn, of a mother humble and poor.
Saint Bonaventure
The birth of Jesus, the deeply disgraced, humble servant who died hanging between two thieves, reveals God’s love in the most ordinary of human signs: a destitute child lying on straw next to his shabbily clothed mother, who was so poor she was forced to find shelter in a barn, forced to sleep in a corner reserved for cattle.
Gerard Thomas Straub
O Lord Jesus Christ, make me worthy to understand the profound mystery of your holy Incarnation, which you have worked for our sake and for our salvation. Truly there is nothing as great and wonderful as this, that you, my God, should become a creature so that we could become like God. You have humbled yourself and made yourself small, that we might be made mighty. Blessed are you, O Lord, who came to earth as one of us.
Saint Angela of Foligno
God and the little boy had become good friends and the little boy eagerly looked for God every day along the seashore. One day, in late December, the little boy spied God on the seashore and caught up with him. As they walked along the little boy said to God,
“You will have a birthday soon.”
“Yes I will,” responded God.
“My mother says that You became man to save us, to make up for our sins,” said the little boy.
“Many people say and think that but the truth is I wanted to be with my creation, which I love dearly. I wanted to be one with my creation instead of being separated from it in heaven and I wanted people to know that I love them and wanted to be with them,” replied God.
“Why were you born so poor and in a stable. You are God and could he been born in a grand house,” asked the little boy.
“I wanted to show that wealth and material goods are not the most important things in this life. Love, compassion, concern for others, justice, charity, humility-these are what make the world a better place, and you don’t find them in material goods. They come from the heart,” responded God.
“Why did you die such a terrible death,” asked the little boy
“Again, to share with my children their sufferings and fears and to prove that death is not final but the beginning of a new and better life,” responded God.
“My mother also said that you are humble. What does that mean,” questioned the little boy.
“It means that my love is so great for my children that I will not force my love or will on them. I want them to love me freely as I love them. I gave them free will to reject or love me and in that way I am helpless before them,” replied God.
The humility of God is a conundrum and in some ways incomprehensible. We are taught the He is omniscient, omnipresent, the creator of a universe so vast that we cannot visualize its farthest reaches and yet, being infinite, He cannot be contained in it. We are told that without His willing it the entire universe would cease to exist and yet, His ways belie our impression of an almighty being that controls the destiny of all that exists. As a man He chose and espoused downward mobility, seeking the poor and marginalized, as opposed to upward mobility, seeking wealth, fame, and recognition, which the world espouses. He shocked His contemporaries by associating with what His society considered unworthy sinners. His message was always love, compassion, and mercy to everyone, to matter their social status or the gravity of their offenses. His greatest teaching was by example. He was born poor to prove that wealth does not preclude a fruitful life. Even as an adult He was totally dependent on the beneficence of others to prove that humble dependence on others is not a mark of failure but a trusting in Divine Providence. Compassion and love was the driving force of all He did. His miracles were performed not to exalt Himself but to alleviate the suffering of others. Indeed, He told many of those He cured to tell no one. His entire life on this earth was spent in service to others.
The Incarnation is the epitome of Divine Humility. The Creator subjected Himself to His creatures to the point of receiving and accepting their opprobrium and forgiving them for it. The humility of God enjoins us to emulate the divine mandate to seek the lowly, the poor, the marginalized, the neglected and anyone else in emotional or physical need. It enjoins us to begin and engage in the meaning of Christmas throughout the year.
When the song of the angel is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart,
and to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.
Howard Thurman
For all concerned, this has been a tumultuous year. Who can make sense of it? Only faith in a benevolent and loving God can keep us on the straight and narrow and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our children have also helped us in maintaining our equilibrium. Despite strict quarantine efforts and not being able to leave the home and go to their cherished park they have behaved admirably, assisting one another in their virtual schooling and home duties. It has been almost one and a half years since we have had an admission due to the pandemic. I look forward to the day when we can once again welcome children into our care.
We are sincerely grateful for your support. We wish you a Blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with God’s blessings. We love you and wish you God’s peace.
