Incarnation: Christmas or Annunciation?

[CrossofChrist]

I have often been puzzled, and humbled, by the words of theologians on this subject. I believe that sometimes they are speaking and writing to the way things have become and not the essence of the matter. It is much simpler to find an audience if one speaks in terms of Easter and Christmas – the point is made and everyone can understand it.

But would the Church have made Christmas as big a deal as it is if it didn’t have an immediate connection with the Incarnation?

 

[Brownginger]

Of course there is a natural connection between Christmas and the Incarnation. The Incarnation is the term for the union of the Divine Nature with the human nature. The union itself took place at Jesus’ Conception, The natural connection between Jesus Conception and His Birth is obvious. I am not arguing that we should not celebrate Christmas. It is my belief that the Church has made “a big deal” of Christmas for the wrong reason. Jesus has already “come among us.” That always will be a huge side-bar on Christmas, just as it will always be a huge side-bar when we speak of any event in the Life of Jesus. But isn’t it truly breathtaking that we can see the Face of God? That also is a really big deal! And it is unique to the Day of Christ’s Birth.

As I have said above, I think those who decided these things, many centuries ago, perhaps, determined that the liturgical calendar should be balanced (slightly), giving each of two major Feasts its own Season. A compromise had to be made if this were to be done: because the Annunciation has no separation in time (or, in some years, vitually none) from Easter, Christmas was chosen as the Feast on which we celebrate the Incarnation. More recently, in a move to pare down the number of Holy Days of Obligation, seeing that we had Christmas (and who needs two days on which to honor the Coming of the Savior?!?), the Annunciation, still a Solemnity, was no longer a Holy Day of Obligation. Strange it is to me that we celebrate the Conception of the Blessed Virgin as a Holy Day and we do not do the same for Her Divine Son.

As so here we are – confused, instructed by some that Advent is the Season in which we look forward to the Second Coming (which, for all I know may very well have been in the minds of those who first devised the calendar – but I fear that it is because the reasoning that Advent prepares us for the Coming of Jesus simply does not stand up to reality), lacking a firm understanding of “the Incarnation,” waiting nine months to give Jesus the welcome and gratitude He deserves every year, and denying to the multitude of Catholics in this country, at least, the abundance of grace that might be earned were we to celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation as it should be celebrated.

I entreat pastors, lay councils, bishops, and any one who has the authority, not to let this sad state of affairs continue. Do not make the Annunciation simply the day school children are presented with awards in the diocsan mother church for essays and artwork about the feast;do that in school and then, in that church, make the feast come alive for those children and for their parents and for rest of the diocese. Let the bells in the towers of every parish ring forth a greeting to our Savior and King, just as they do to wish Him Happy Birthday on Christmas!

 

[CrossofChrist]

I will side with the Church.

 

[Barzillai]

There is a tradition, although not a particularly well known tradition, that Jesus died on the same day he was conceived; that Jesus entered and left this world on the same day of the year. (Since Easter is pretty well established as occurring in the spring time, this tradition is thought by some to have inspired celebrating Christmas in the winter, approximately 9 months later.)

Before Christ’s death (and thus before his Conception), we observe the penitential season of Lent, reflecting on our sins and their weight on our savior’s shoulders upon the cross. Mankind was meant to live forever in grace with God; we chose sin, and doomed ourselves to death. Jesus, alone among men, was conceived with the purpose of dying, in order to destroy our death. Thus the close association between the two.

Advent, too, is a penitential season, echoing the Lent, observed in anticipation of the joyful birth of our Lord. We observe a season of penance before each major milestone of Christ’s life.

Emphasis added.

EXCELLENT!!

May Christ’s glory beheld by Mary Magdalene
also call us to penance,

 

[CrossofChrist]

I will side with the Church.

Garrigou-Lagrange has an insight into the Incarnation that intrigues me…

Did Christ merit the continuation of His incarnation? Suarez and certain other theologians affirm that He did.

The majority of the theologians, especially among the Thomists, say that He did not. They give as their reason, that the continuation does not differ from the Incarnation itself, which cannot be the object of merit. The Incarnation is not a continuation after the manner of successive and divisible things by some addition, namely, by way of part, degree or help, but it is simultaneously whole and is measured by an absolutely indivisible duration, which transcends the continuity of solar time, and also the discrete time in the succession of thoughts of angels. This duration, that measures the Incarnation, is participated eternity, participated indeed inasmuch as the Incarnation had a beginning. The reason is that the hypostatic union is unchangeable, and more permanent than the beatific vision, which is really measured by participated eternity on the part of the object, inasmuch as there is neither change nor succession in it.

 

[Norwich12]

I am a physician:

The Humanity begins at Conception-- not at
Birth.

The most basic doctrine in Christianity is that
Jesus is fully Human and fully God.

Ergo: Incarnation was at the moment that Mary
Conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Otherwise, the Mother of God’s fetus would not
have been born
as the Son of God.

Amen

 

[GangGreen]

The Church teaches that the Incarnation occurred at the annunciation.

 

[UbiCaritas]

At a guess, it’s a question of tradition.

Mary knew when she conceived Jesus, of course, but the first month or two of pregnancy was a rather fuzzy time in the pre-scientific era. Even Thomas Aquinas, brilliant man that he was, thought that the soul didn’t enter the body until, IIRC, 40 days after conception. Abortion has been held by both the Jewish and Christian communities to be terribly wrong for much longer than that, of course, but while in earlier times sex often means babies was obvious, exactly when and how that took place was a lot murkier. Even today with NFP charting, I might know that DH and I having sex on X day resulted in our DD, but p(name removed by moderator)ointing when in the following 72 hours the sperm met the egg is a matter of conjecture rather than certain knowledge.

Ergo, it’s a lot easier to celebrate a birth day. Not to mention less awkward. “So, mom and dad, on what day did you…?”