the mystery of the incarnation: 3rd week of Easter Tuesday

In our common reflection on the creed we come now to the third article of faith which says that Jesus “was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary.”  Beginning today we reflect on the mystery of the incarnation, the mystery when the Son of God became flesh, the mystery of the faith which professes that the second person of the Blessed Trinity though true God became true man for our salvation, the mystery that attest that God became man.  This is the mystery of the incarnation – in carne, in the flesh.

One theologian was asked – what is the greatest and most profound of all mysteries – is it the resurrection of the Lord or the incarnation of the Lord.  The answer of this theologian was the incarnation of the Lord.  He said that it is easier to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead than to believe that God became flesh.  Mas mahapos magpati nga ang Dios nabanhaw sa mga minatay sang sa magpati nga ang Dios nangin tawo.  Mas makatalanhaga sa aton mata nga ang Dios nahimo nga tawo, paano ang Dios nangin tawo, ngaa nga ang Dios nangin tawo?  And as if this is not enough a mystery the gospel added another dimension to our reflection.  The Son of God did not just become flesh for our salvation, but the Son of God who is flesh also became bread for our life.  We profess and reaffirm what we find in John chapter 3 verse 15 - For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  Jesus became flesh, he became man, for our salvation.

Today in the face of this wonderful mystery of the incarnation we reflect on two virtues of the Son of God and of God himself – the virtues of obedience and humility.

In the incarnation Jesus was and is obedient to the Father.  As God he cannot die, as God he is immortal.  To follow God’s will fully he has to become human.  So God took on the flesh of man so that he can obey the Father, so that he can offer his life for all of us.  That is why the fathers of the Church would often say that Jesus was the only person to be born not to live but to die.  He was born human so that he can die for love of us.

Obedience is like that.  What you are being asked to do is not always to your liking and you may not always agree.  But you obey.  It is always difficult to obey.  You have to hand over your will, your independence, your logic, you have to give up even your point of view.  Jesus also had the same difficulty and this was evident when he was praying in the garden of Gethsemane – if possible Father, take this cup . . . but not my will but your will be done.

The second virtue is not so unlike the first.  In fact obedience can only be had when we have this virtue.  It is the virtue of humility.  Jesus was humble.  A person cannot listen, a person cannot follow if that person is not humble enough.   In the coming days our readings will center on the controversy of the bread of life – when Jesus said I am the bread of life and partaking of this bread which is his flesh and blood is needed to enter into life.  It was be a controversial teaching.  How can we eat of his flesh, they ask?  And many will leave him for many cannot accept his teachings.  Did Jesus say, come back, I would like to take back my word.  Did Jesus water down his teachings because people cannot accept it?  He did not.  In the end only the humble will be saved, only the humble can persevere – only the humble like Peter who answered the question of the Lord, will you also leave me?  And Peter in all humility said, “Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”

Lord there are many teachings in your church which I could not readily agree.  There are many teachings in the Catholic Church which I feel are old-fashioned, not in consonance with the times.  Help me in my unbelief.  Help me to obey even if I could not understand.  Help me to be humble to accept what for me is unacceptable.  Help me to discover your teachings to study them, to reflect on it and bring it to prayer.  Give me the grace of docility, the capacity to listen, and to accept your teachings.  Amen.