Day Thirteen: The Incarnation and Names of Jesus, Part Three

One of the ways I review with my students is with questions. I ask them direct questions related to previous objectives in the class. They use their notes or their memory to respond. It also becomes a chance for them to ask questions of their own. The repetition of these concepts helps them to remember, if not for the sake of their relationship with God and the Church, then for the sake of their own intellectual knowledge. It is up to them and God how to turn that intellectual knowledge into somethings Truly beneficial. These are the two main questions we ask:

• Who is God?
• What does God desire of us?

I further the conversation, asking how God makes His desires for us known. I ask the students to explain the Pit Analogy in terms of what God desires and how He works to fulfill that desire. The natural conclusion when talking about the Pit Analogy is to come to an understanding that in order for us to know God, He must come to us. The theological term for this process is Incarnation.

Big Bend National Park in West Texas. South Rim Trail. It took over a day to drive there from Atlanta, but the sacrifice was worth it. (photo J. Harrington)

“Students will be able to define ‘Incarnation’.” Incarnation literally means: “becomes flesh”. They shudder a bit when I tell them the root of the word is “-carne”, meaning flesh. My students who like tacos now remember the term a little better. But we continue with some basic theology. Through the Incarnation, God becomes human so He can encounter us, physically. God “moves” from “infinite” to “finite.” This is an infinite distance. I spell it out for them, or, rather, I do the math for my students. If God is equal to infinity and if we are a value anywhere on the numberline (finite), when God becomes incarnate, He literally subtracts an infinite value from Himself to be with us. He goes from infinite to finite…out of Love. This is perfect or infinite humility The Incarnation is a sign of “how far” God is willing to go to be with us. In Christianity we teach that Jesus is the Incarnation. Therefore, if we can develop a relationship with Jesus Christ, we can begin to experience the Love that God desire us to have. The next objective will show how the names of Jesus help us to “know” who He is.