Fr. Tom Tank
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us!” These words from the Nicene Creed that we proclaim each Sunday express the heart of our faith. Yes, the Eternal Word of God took on our human nature and became one with us in all things but sin. He did so that we might be freed from sin and have hope and the promise of eternal life.
The truth of the Incarnation – God taking on our humanity in Jesus – is fundamental to our life and hope as human beings and as Christians. This great mystery of God’s love challenges us to accept the unbelievable. We are so precious in God’s eyes that He has chosen to share our life and our brokenness to the full. What tremendous love God has for all of humanity and for each of us as His beloved children. One translation of the Prologue in St. John’s Gospel states “He pitched His tent among us.” I love that image of the Incarnation. The Word of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, makes his dwelling with us so that we might ultimately make our dwelling with Him. The Incarnation is transformational for all of humanity and for each of us as individuals.
Many people, even among Catholics, really don’t believe in the Incarnation. Jesus is just a good person, a wonderful model and a great teacher, but He is only human. This heresy called Arianism has been with the Church for a long time….all the way from the 3rd century. But Jesus is not just a good human being, He is the Word become flesh for our salvation. Without his divinity within our humanity there is no salvation, no freedom from sin, no promise of eternal life. The Incarnation is absolutely fundamental to our faith as Christians. In fact without that belief we are not truly Christian.
I am particularly aware of this as we prepare for Christmas this year because a recent poll of Catholics indicates that many who claim to be Catholic express a lack of belief in the mystery of the Incarnation. That is alarming to me. As Catholics we need to get back to some of the basics of our faith which is based not on human opinion, but on the revelation of God especially through Christ as manifested in the Scriptures, Tradition and the sacramental life of the Church. Without the fundamentals of our faith we are aimless and, even worse, shipwrecked. We have nothing solid on which to base our life or understand its purpose. But with a clear acceptance of God’s self-revelation in Jesus, we are firmly grounded on the foundation that Christ has given to the Church and to each of us.
This year as we celebrate Christmas, let’s get beyond the superficial and go to the heart of why we celebrate Christmas. While many things add to the celebration like lights, presents, delicious foods, parties, none of these is really what the feast is about. We need to focus on the stable of Bethlehem and on the revelation that the Word has become flesh and dwells among us for our eternal salvation. This is the wonder of Christmas, the mystery of God’s abundant love for each of us.