The Incarnation

by Fred Vilbig

In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul wrote that Christ emptied Himself of His divinity, taking the form of a slave, and became obedient even to death, death on a cross, a most painful and humiliating death. Philippians 2:7-8.

It is impossible for us to grasp this dynamic or to understand what Jesus sacrificed just to become one of us. We tend to think of Jesus in very human terms, but that is a profound mistake. Jesus was and is God. God created the heavens and the earth. With a mere “word,” He created the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. He created the most immense stellar formations, the smallest biological creatures, and all of the subatomic particles and forces that make up creation. And that is only what we can see. He also created an almost numberless number of angels and other spiritual creatures who in their own right are more powerful that you and I can possibly imagine.

And it is Jesus by Whom and through Whom all of this was made and even continues to exist. If we truly believe that Jesus is God, then we have to realize that in becoming one of us, Jesus sacrificed more than you and I can ever grasp. That is why we bow at Mass when we say “and by the Holy Spirit [He] was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” All for love of us. At each Mass I am reminded of this whenever the priest prays, “By the mystery of this water wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” In this short phrase, the mystery of the incarnation is brought to mind, and we should reflect on that often. God loved us so much that He actually became one of us in all things but sin. What a great and loving God we have!