Crazy Catholic Question #61: Incarnation

What is the Doctrine of the Incarnation?

The doctrine of the Incarnation is not only the heart of what we celebrate this sacred Advent and Christmas season, but it is also is a major, central, non-negotiable tenet of our Catholic Faith. Some theologians say that the first and primary claim of the gospel is not, as we often think, that “Jesus died for our sins.” Nor is it, as we are sometimes told, "God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives." Rather, the first and primary claim of the gospel is, "God is here.”

“Incarnation” literally means – “in body.” Our Doctrine of the Incarnation states that God has taken on human flesh: in the person of Jesus, in the Eucharist, and in all who are sincere in faith as the body of Christ.

Our belief in the incarnation declares that we are saved as much by Jesus’ birth as by his death. The life of Jesus was the ultimate act of God’s willingness to meet us where we are at, in our very own history, in our suffering, and is a firm promise that God does not choose to be God without us. The Incarnation tells us we are never alone.

There is a story of a boy who receives the gift of a fish from his mother and he loves this fish so much that he saves his allowance for weeks and weeks in order to buy the fish a little bridge to swim under. But no matter what the boy does; yelling at the fish bowl, drawing pictures for the fish, etc. the fish just won’t swim under the bridge! So the boy says to his mom in frustration “Mom, why can’t I teach the fish to swim under the bridge?” And the Mom replies “Oh honey, in order to teach the fish to swim under the bridge, you would have to become a fish yourself.” Not an exact metaphor of course, but insightful. God simply could not bear the alienation that our bad choices and sin had caused so Jesus came among us, to save us, and show us the way home.

So, we do not believe in a God somewhere “out there,” or “up there,” transcendent and aloof towards us. We believe in a God who humbled himself to walk the earth with us and who is still physically present to us in a simple meal of bread and wine shared among us, and inside each and every human being that lives. The Christian God can be seen, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled through the senses. John Shea writes a little story that highlights the power in this belief….

"She was five years old, sure of the facts, and recited them with slow solemnity, convinced every word was revelation. She said they were so poor that they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat and they went a long way from home without getting lost. The lady rode a donkey, The man walked, and the baby was inside the lady.

They had to stay in a stable with an ox and an ass (tee – hee) but the three Rich Men found them because a star lighted the roof! Shepherds came and you could pet the sheep, but not feed them. Then the baby was borned! And do you know who he was? Her quarter eyes inflated to silver dollars. The baby was GOD!  

And she jumped in the air, whirled around, dove into the sofa, and buried her head under the cushion….Which is, of course, the only proper response to the Good News of the Incarnation."

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