Christmas and the Incarnation

The Incarnation, the "becoming human" of the eternally
begotten Son of God, is one of Christianity's most fundamental
mysteries. Jesus, whom we profess in the creed as "True God
from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the
Father through whom all things were made," became human,
and he did so for our salvation. The prologue of John proclaims
this mystery in the most profound way possible.


It begins with asserting the preexistence of Jesus Christ, the
Only Begotten Son of God, the Second person of the Blessed
Trinity. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1 NAB). Next, it highlights
the purpose of the Incarnation—eternal life. Third and perhaps
most crucially, the solidarity of divinity with humanity. "And the
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we
saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace
and truth" (John 1:14).

This central verse captures the sacred moment Jesus became
human. This moment took place in the womb of the Virgin
Mary, hidden from even the keenest of human eyes. Soon after
Mary declared herself the handmaid of the Lord and offered
herself unreservedly to the will of God, God made a dwelling in
her womb. Jesus was conceived in Mary's womb through the
power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). The miracle of Incarnation
consists of the virginal conception. As St. Augustine famously
notes, just as Jesus' eternal nature flows directly from the
Father without a mother, his human nature came from Mary
without the help of a father.

Other than the miraculous manner he was conceived, Jesus
gradually developed in the womb of Mary just like any other
human baby. He spent about nine months in the womb of Mary,
depending on her for warmth, protection, and nurture as he
passed through the various stages of fetal development. His
human body, blood, and DNA were entirely Mary's donation.
And when the time came for Jesus to be born, Mary gave birth
to him, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a
manger because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke
2:7). According to the tradition of the Church, during this birth,
yet another miracle took place. Just as she conceived Jesus
without losing her virginity, Mary gave birth to Jesus while
maintaining her virginal integrity. It is this miraculous birth
that is celebrated at Christmas.

Thus, while the focus of our celebration at Christmas is the
birth of Jesus, the Incarnation is kept within perspective. This is
because it is the mystery of the Incarnation that gives meaning
to Christmas. There is no Christmas without the mystery of the
Incarnation! We cannot celebrate Christmas worthily without
taking the Incarnation seriously, and this must go beyond the
solemn commemoration at the liturgy.

In our every celebration, we must never forget the mystery of
the Incarnation. As we give gifts, let us give joy and hope. The
Incarnation is all about the joy of our salvation and the
audacity of hope despite our human brokenness. Jesus
redeemed our fallen human nature by assuming it. He dignified
our human condition by partaking in it. And because God is one
of us, we have hope, joy, and beauty, despite our human
deplorableness.

Also, as we bestow gifts on our loved ones, let us not forget
those who have no loved ones. Let us spare a thought for those
with nothing to celebrate. In his Incarnation, Jesus deliberately
chose to identify with the lowly, the outcast, and the
marginalized. He was born in a manger and not in a palace. He
often had no place to lay his head. More significant, however, is
Jesus revealing the ultimate criteria for the final judgment. It
will be about how well we treated the least among us and not
how well we treated our friends, family, and loved ones (See
Matthew 25: 31-46).

Merry Christmas.