Incarnation of God the first Sacrament?

[sek]

Hello:

Has any one heard of the Incarnation of God in the womb of Mary being referred to as the first Sacrament? Maybe in some early Church writings? I have often thought that maybe the early Christians were overwhelmed by the implications of the Incarnation: Infinite Divinity choosing to take upon Himself a human nature. Today, we know from modern science that the atoms in our body get recycled many times during our lifetimes. For us, this is not such a big deal, but for the Son of God, isn’t it? Doesn’t the doctrine of the hypostatic union state that Jesus’ divine nature and his human nature are inseparable? We know that Jesus shared bodily fluids with our Blessed Mother while in her womb, and that He walked the earth for roughly 30 years. His atoms left His body and entered other people’s body and diffused into the environment. Don’t the Scriptures refer to Christ saving creation? I often wonder if the early Christians didn’t have a better understanding of the implications of the Incarnation than we do. Could it be said that the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension transformed the spiritual world by opening up the gates of Heaven and such, and that analogously, the Incarnation transformed the physical or material world? I sense that the wonder the early Christians had for the Incarnation explains the blooming of the Sacraments along with the verbal direction they received from Apostolic authority. It seems to me that the idea of Grace and matter together was not a difficult concept for the early Christians. Protestants do seem to have a difficult time understanding this notion. I wonder if they truly believe that God condescended to take for Himself a human nature and dwell in the womb of a woman for nine months? They seem to take the approach of finding something in Scripture, then arguing about it, then doing something about it. I don’t sense that that is the way the Sacraments came to be. What would they have done before the Scriptures of the New Testament were available to them?

Sorry for the long post, but I have long wanted to get some feedback of these thoughts I’ve had.

In Christ,

Sean.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

A Sacrament conveys God’s Love and Grace through physical matter. By this definition Jesus is the First and Great Sacrament. I have seen this discussed someplace, long ago, and don’t remember where.

 

[sek]

Thanks Joe. BTW, I love the Irish!

 

[T.A.Stobie_SFO]

It is a powerful meditation.

The Incarnation of God as the first Sacrament.

Some quick thoughts -
the unity of the Incarnation & Eucharist
the ultimate gift of love (Jesus’ human life)
the awesome power of God.

I may write a meditation to go along with these thoughts.

I already have this one, “Meditation on Jesus right after the Incarnation”.

(Create a new one, expand on this one, or add nothing. That is my question.)

 

[tmore35]

sek,

The notion of Jesus, in His humanity, as being the primordial sacrament has been advanced in its current form by post modern theologians since the middle of the 20th century. Two leading European theologians are primarily responsible for this: Karl Rahner and Edward Schillebeeckx. Both men were present and active at the Second Vatican Council. All other sacramental theologeans since Vatican II have used their theology as their basic premise.

This theology does not redefine the Incarnation as much as it serves to enhanse, deepen, and broaden our understanding of sacrament. A sacrament is an occasion of grace through which we are brought in contact with God. The Incarnation is God’s ultimate revelation. It is the occasion of grace through which all graces flow. The Incarnation is the visible form of God’s redeeming love. And, our most intimate physical link with God Himself.

It is through the Paschal Mystery, the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus that we are gifted sacramental grace. These were human events. We are called to identify with them. Each sacramental event in our own lives take us bsck to the Paschal Mystery. In a real sense every sacramental event offers us a death and resurrection–death to old ways and rebirth to new. Through the sacraments we receive the nourishment we need to advance our spiritual growth.

E. Schillebeeckx’s book Christ the Sacrament of the Encounter With God is a classic in this field. It was first published before the Council and has gone through 7 editions. A shorter, easier book that explains and supports Schillebeeckx’s theology would be Sacramental Theology: An Introduction by Kennan Osborne.

Pax et Bonum!
(I too am SFO)

 

[sek]

tmore, Stobie:

Thanks guys for your thoughts and beautiful meditations at your site Stobie.

In Christ,

Sean.