On this last Sunday of Advent, Matthew’s Gospel presents a synopsis of how the birth of Jesus the Christ took place. It focuses on Joseph’s visit from an angel who revealed that his wife Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. This unusual occurrence came to be known as the Incarnation. The word Incarnation, as it is known in Christianity, if capitalized, is the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ. (Wikipedia)
During an hour of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament recently, I was overcome thinking about the Incarnation. In Spanish, incarnation means “flesh”. God has taken on flesh and is one of us. During prayer, I was overwhelmed that Jesus would put on flesh and be born a human being. How awesome that God would find a way to send His Son, as scripture explains, by overshadowing Mary. The baby who would be born would be the Son of the Most High.
Throughout the centuries. Christmas has been associated with the birth of Jesus, Mary’s son. Is Christmas only a one-day celebration and then we let it go? Oh no! Jesus is an ongoing Incarnation. Every time we imitate Jesus and have faith in Him, He is born again and again. On the cusp of Christmas, Advent reminds us of the Incarnation of God’s abiding presence. Jesus continues to be born every time His presence leads us to imitate Him.
The late Thomas Keating, Cistercian monk and noted spiritual writer, in his book, Awakenings, refers to the Incarnation:
“God has become
one of us and is breathing our air”… Through His humanity, the whole universe has become divine… By becoming a human being, He is in the heart of all creation and in every part of it”. (AW, 95-97)
Incarnation, what an amazing Christmas gift!
-Sister Joan McMahon, CSJ