Christmas is a time of great joy and celebration because it marks the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. At Christmas, the Church commemorates the revelation of divine love in human history.

Over two thousand years ago, an event unimaginable and unparalleled in human history took place: God became man. This mystery, known in Christian theology as the Incarnation, affirms that the immortal and eternal God freely assumed mortal human nature out of love for humanity. Saint Leo the Great reminds us, “The Son of God entered into this lowliness of our world … without diminishing His majesty” (Sermon 21).

As the Gospel of John proclaims, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). The Incarnation is therefore not a mythological idea, but a concrete historical and salvific event through which God enters human history. This divine act raises a fundamental theological question: why did God choose to enter human history in such an extraordinary manner?

Christian revelation consistently teaches that the primary purpose of the Incarnation was the salvation of humanity. Scripture affirms that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). Likewise, in his First Letter to Timothy, Saint Paul states that Christ came “to save sinners” (1 Tim 1:15). The Incarnation is thus inseparable from God’s redemptive plan, aimed at liberating humanity from sin and restoring communion between God and humanity (cf. Rom 5:10).

In Jesus Christ, God enters the human condition to redeem humanity from sin and reconcile it to Himself (cf. Rom 5:8–11). The Incarnation is therefore inseparable from God’s salvific plan, rooted in divine love and mercy.

The Church Fathers provide profound theological insight into this salvific purpose. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons teaches that through the Incarnation, Christ “recapitulated” humanity in Himself, restoring what was lost through Adam’s disobedience (Adversus Haereses, III, 18, 1). This insight is echoed by Saint Augustine, who affirms that in Christ, humility heals pride and obedience restores disobedience (De Trinitate, XIII).

By assuming human nature, Christ renews it from within and leads humanity back to God. Similarly, Saint Athanasius famously declares, “The Son of God became man so that we might become God” (De Incarnatione, 54), emphasizing that the Incarnation enables humanity’s participation in the divine life through grace.

Beyond redemption, the Incarnation also holds profound anthropological significance, revealing the true meaning of human existence. By assuming human nature, Christ reveals both the true nature of God and the authentic meaning of humanity. Christ became man to reveal God to humanity and humanity to itself. As the Second Vatican Council teaches, Christ “fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear” (Gaudium et Spes, no. 22).

Through His life and teachings, Jesus shows humanity how to live in obedience to God, in love of neighbour, and in faithful self-giving (cf. Mt 22:37–40; Phil 2:6–8). He came, as He Himself proclaimed, “that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Jesus came to renew creation and establish a new humanity, freeing mankind from the bondage and shackles of sin so that humanity may experience new life in grace—a life in the Spirit.

Furthermore, Christ is presented in both Scripture and Patristic theology as the Light who dispels darkness. Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12), a theme developed by the Fathers who saw Christ as the divine illumination of fallen humanity. Saint Clement of Alexandria describes Christ as the Paedagogos, the divine teacher who enlightens humanity and leads it from ignorance to truth (Paedagogus, I, 1). The Gospel testifies that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (Jn 1:5).

Through His Incarnation, Christ confronts the darkness of sin, ignorance, and death, and reveals the path that leads humanity to its ultimate destiny—eternal life with God (cf. Jn 8:12; 14:6).

The Second Vatican Council underscores this revelatory dimension of the Incarnation by stating: “For He sent His Son, the eternal Word, who enlightens all men, to dwell among men and to tell them about the inner life of God” (Dei Verbum, no. 4). Thus, the Incarnation stands at the heart of Christian faith as both the definitive revelation of God and the decisive means through which humanity is invited into communion with Him.

In conclusion, the mystery of the Incarnation reveals God’s boundless love, the fullness of divine truth, restores human nature to its intended dignity, accomplishes the salvation of humanity, and offers a model for authentic human living. Through Jesus Christ—true God and true man—humanity is led out of the darkness of sin and guided toward its eternal home in heaven, into the light of eternal life and communion with God.

“Wake up, O man – it was for you that God was made man! Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. For you, I say, was God made man. Eternal death would have awaited you, had he not been born in time. Never would you be freed from your sinful flesh, had he not taken to himself the likeness of sinful flesh. Everlasting would be your misery, had he not performed this act of mercy. You would not have come to life again, had he not come to die your death. You would have perished, had he not come. 

Let us joyfully celebrate the hallowed day on which the great eternal day came from the great eternal day into this, our short and temporal day. He has become our justice, our sanctification, and our redemption” (St. Augustine, Sermon, Divine Office, Vol. I, pp 171 -172).

 

REV. SR. AGNES OKOYE, DDL
Email: agnesoliaku@gamil.com
Dominican University, Ibadan