FULLY GOD, FULLY MAN.
December 25, 2022.
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) – A.
Vigil Mass
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of
David, the son of Abraham...” (Mt 1:1)
A Traditional proverb says: “Man, know thyself ... and thou
shalt know the gods.” And a French proverb adds: “There are two great pleasures
in gambling: that of winning and that of losing.”
The incarnation of the Son of God in our human nature is one
of the most singular and altogether amazing events that has ever taken place in
humanity. The world has known and gone through many significant events and
situations but none of them can ever equal the story of God becoming a man.
Ancient Greek mythology has events that many treat as quite similar. We could
mention the birth of Hercules, Quirinus, Augustus... but all these
humano-divine creatures, once they became gods have lost their humanity or lost
their divinity by becoming a man. I read somewhere that, "The human-divine
transformations in the Greek and Roman religion found expression in the only
two ways possible: either as anthropomorphosis, where the gods took on human
shape and consorted with men upon the earth, or as apotheoses, whereby men
became elevated to the status of the gods. It is often quite hard to
distinguish between the two. Thus when Horace describes Pollux, Hercules,
Augustus, Bacchus, and Quirinus as assuming their seat at the celestial board,
and beginning to partake of the nectar of the gods."
The author of the article goes on to add, "there are
numerous instances where the gods are directly said to have been humanized,
generally for the purpose of gratifying their amorous desires. In this way the
sons of Zeus by human mothers were innumerable. Among them were Perseus, Castor
and Pollux, who were specially called “the sons of Zeus,” Hercules and Bacchus,
Aeacus and Sarpedon. Many too were the sons of Poseidon, most of whom were
marked by gigantic size and ruthlessness. Of the three brothers who divided the
world between them, Hades alone seems to have been without issue of any kind.
The sons of the gods did not fail to show their mixed ancestry, by also
entering into union with mortal women." The singularity of the Incarnation
is that the Son of God has not lost his divinity nor has it diminished. He is
fully God and fully man. What we celebrate tonight has no equal and no
precedent.
The Catechism says, "The unique and altogether singular
event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is
part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused
mixture of the divine and the human. He became truly man while remaining truly
God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man. During the first centuries, the
Church had to defend and clarify this truth of faith against the heresies that
falsified it." CCC 464
We are celebrating today one of the central pillars of our
faith. Together with the Resurrection, the Incarnation of God is what gives
meaning to our life. It is the dawn of the mystery of redemption. God became
man to save man without losing or lessening his divinity.
The readings point to one element, the true humanity of God.
He became man, born of a human family that can be traced through ascendancy.
And he became a man with a mission, vindicate humanity and save us from
damnation. In the first reading, Isaiah announces the new dawn and a
consolation for the people of God. Jerusalem will be restored. No longer will
she be called desolate or forsaken. She will become the delight of the Lord.
This prophecy will come true at the Nativity of the Son of God who will be born
in a human family.
Thus, the Gospel of Matthew takes us in history with the
ascendancy of Jesus. The Genealogical Tree of Jesus or enneagram speaks of the
amazing work of God, how he chose a human reality with its limitations,
weaknesses, and inconsistencies to write a divine mystery, the redemption of
mankind. Jesus is a true man, born of Mary, espoused to Joseph from the house
of David.
Through the Genealogy of Jesus, we are urged to look at our
own history and write our ascendancy. Many are there who feel ashamed of their
origin and will happily like to change their Genealogy if they could. Jesus did
not change his. He was neither not ashamed of it, nor because of the glorious
names. Even those glorious and royal people were great sinners, murderers,
womanizers, adulterous, Pagans, weak... That is all that God chose to write our
salvation.
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