The Incarnation is one of the greatest mysteries in the Church. Contemplate the grandeur of this mystery with Saint Alphonsus Liguori as your guide.
“And the Word was made flesh.”
Our Lord sent Saint Augustine to write upon the heart of Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi the words, And the Word was made flesh. Oh, let us also pray the Lord to enlighten our minds, and to make us understand what an excess and what a miracle of love this is, that the eternal Word, the Son of God, should have become man for the love of us.
The holy Church is struck with awe at the contemplation of this great mystery: I considered Your works and was afraid. If God had created a thousand other worlds, a thousand times greater and more beautiful than the present, it is certain that this work would be infinitely less grand than the incarnation of the Word: He hath showed might in His arm. To execute the great work of the Incarnation, it required all the omnipotence and infinite wisdom of God, in order to unite human nature to a divine person, and that a divine person should so humble Himself as to take upon Himself human nature. Thus God became man, and man became God; and hence, the divinity of the Word being united to the soul and body of Jesus Christ, all the actions of this Man-God became divine: His prayers were divine, His sufferings divine, His infant cries divine, His tears divine, His steps divine, His members divine, His very blood divine, which became, as it were, a fountain of health to wash out all our sins, and a sacrifice of infinite value to appease the justice of the Father, who was justly offended with men.
And who, then, are these men? Miserable, ungrateful, and rebellious creatures. And yet for these God becomes man; subjects himself to human miseries; suffers and dies to save these unworthy sinners: He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. O holy faith! If faith did not assure us of it, who would believe that a God of infinite majesty should abase Himself so far as to become a worm like us, in order to save us at the cost of so much suffering and disgrace, and of so cruel and shameful a death?
“O grace! O power of love!” cries St. Bernard. O grace, which men could not even have imagined, if God Himself had not thought of granting it to us! O divine love, which can never be fathomed! O mercy! O infinite charity, worthy only of an infinite bounty!
Affections and Prayers
O soul, O body, O blood of my Jesus! I adore you and thank you; you are my hope; you are the price paid to save me from hell, which I have so often merited. O my God, what a miserable and hopeless life would await me in eternity, if You, my Redeemer, had not thought of saving me by Your sufferings and death! But how is it that souls, redeemed by You with so much love, knowing all this, can live without loving You, and can despise the grace which You have acquired for them with so much suffering? And did not I also know all this? How, then, could I offend You, and offend You so often? But, I repeat it, Your blood is my hope. I acknowledge, my Savior, the great injuries that I have done to You. Oh that I had rather died a thousand times! Oh that I had always loved You! But I thank You that You yet give me time to do so. I hope in the time that remains to me in this life, and for all eternity, to sing forever Your praises for the mercies You have shown me. I have deserved, on account of my sins, to be more and more in darkness; but You have given me more and more light. I deserved that You should abandon me; but You, with calls still more loving, came to me and sought me. I deserve that my soul should remain more hardened; but You have softened and touched it with compunction, so that by Your grace I now feel great sorrow for the offenses that I have committed against You; I feel within me an ardent desire of loving You; I feel fully resolved to lose everything rather than Your friendship; I feel a love towards You that makes me abhor everything that displeases You. And this sorrow, this desire, this resolution, and this love, who is it that gives them to me? It is You, O Lord, in Your great mercy. Therefore, my Jesus, this is a proof that You have pardoned me; it is a proof that You now love me, and that You will me at all costs to be saved; You will that I should be saved, and I will save myself principally to give You pleasure. You love me, and I also love You; but my love is but little. Oh, give me more love; You deserve more love from me, for I have received from You more special favors than others; I pray You, increase the flames of my love. Most holy Mary, obtain for me that the love of Jesus may consume and destroy in me every affection that has not God for its object. You listen to the prayers of all that call on you; listen to me also, obtain for me love and perseverance.
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This article is taken from a chapter in The Road to Bethlehem by Saint Alphonsus Liguori which is available from TAN Books.
