“Wake up, O human being! For it was for you that God was made man.” (Saint Augustine).
I have been reflecting on Christ Incarnate of the Virgin Mary.
The Nicene Creed is a profession of our faith…
“I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, He suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end…”
And I have been reflecting most particularly on the fact that God the Son was incarnate of the Virgin Mary…
Saint Augustine said, “Man’s maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die.”
And when I stop to reflect on that it is mind-boggling. God made Himself small and weak so that we could hurt Him. He made Himself vulnerable so that we could bully Him in His vulnerability. And He did that KNOWING that we would cause Him harm. He did it purposefully and intentionally. He made Himself a tiny baby who could not feed Himself or clean himself or change His own nappy. And He did that for love of me…
And knowing that I listen to the words of Saint Augustine who said, “Wake up, O human being! For it was for you that God was made man. Rise up and realise it was all for you. 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.”
And so, I wake up today and think of Him – my Beloved – who suffered and died intentionally for my sake. I think of Him – my Beloved – who did all of this just to save my most miserable and unworthy soul. And I think of what that means for me… And I hang my head in shame – because I do not think that I really am awake…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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