Christmas Blessings!
St. Francis’s devotion to and awe of the Incarnation and the humility of God is the root to which Franciscans return as we pray. Especially at this time of year, as we rejoice and give thanks for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, let’s give some thought to why our belief in the Incarnation is crucial as Catholics and as Franciscans.
Why did the Word become flesh, why the Incarnation?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God; the Word became flesh so we might know God's love: the Word became flesh to be our model of holiness; the Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature" (See Catechism of the Catholic Church 457-460)
Many of these same points were made by the great Franciscan theologian, Bl. John Duns Scotus, who lived in the 12-13th centuries. His ideas have become prominent in Franciscan theology. [Duns Scotus] “…argued that God’s supreme work, the Incarnation, had to be first and foremost in God’s mind. It could not be dependent on or occasioned by any action of humans, especially sin…Duns Scotus emphasized divine love. God is love and created all life in order to communicate to creatures the fullness of divine love. The Incarnate Word is the foundation of the creative plan of God, the very reason for the existence of all creation.” (Kenneth R. Overberg, S.J., see below)
For a beautiful explanation of this Franciscan perspective, see Fr. Casey Cole’s brief video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Questions to discuss or comment on in your journal.
1- How are we as Franciscans influenced by St. Francis’s devotion to the Incarnation?
2. What are some of the writings of Francis and Clare that show us the importance of this devotion?
3. How has viewing Fr. Casey’s video (link above) on the Incarnation affected you?
Resources
Kenneth R. Overberg, S.J. The Incarnation: Why God Wanted to Become Human. Catholic Update: Order here: https://www.liguori.org/the-
You can order other individual copies of Catholic Update here: https://www.liguori.org/
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