What is the mystery of the Incarnation?
The Incarnation is the central mystery of the Christian faith whereby the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the eternal Son of God, assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in that same human nature. As Saint John's Gospel proclaims: 'The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us' (John 1:14). Jesus did not merely appear to be human (the heresy of Docetism); He took a real human body and a human soul from the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, becoming truly man without ceasing to be truly God.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 461-463
- John 1:14
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.