The Universal Dimensions of the Incarnation

More than two millennia have passed since the Incarnation of the Lord, yet it seems that Christian societies are regressing, rather than advancing, in their understanding of its message and meaning. The Fathers of the Church heralded this great mystery as the means of man’s deification and creation’s renewal, but modern Christians have largely accepted a diminished view. Uprooted from the sacramental worldview of old and immersed in the fragmented landscape of secularism, modern Catholics often adopt unorthodox ways of thinking about themselves and the world they inhabit. But if man is to realize the grace extended to him, he must recover an integrated view of reality. He must recognize that the Creator of all things has irrevocably joined Himself to creation, wedding the things of Heaven to earth.

The first truth of the Incarnation is that simple yet inexpressible truth that God is man. But this does not simply mean, as some imagine, that God has been inserted into the world as one living among men — as one object among others. Rather, it represents a radical upending of the created order. By joining Himself to creation, the Uncreated One shatters the wall separating Heaven and earth, flooding this impoverished world with unspeakable light. For the Author of all things, and the One in whom all things are held together, assumes a created nature. Of this divine espousal, Isaiah prophesied:

You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more
be termed Desolate
but you shall be called My delight is in her,
and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married. (62:4)

Already in the Old Testament, the Prophet Isaiah foresaw a time when God would wed the human race — and in such a way that the land itself would be drawn into this exalted covenant. Christ’s human nature is the central axis of this divine marriage, consummated in the hypostatic union. Without blurring the lines between the divine and the human, these two natures are united in His person, deifying the latter and making it a lightning rod of grace whereby others might be made holy.