On the Supremacy of the Incarnation

As Pope Benedict XVI rightly taught, the Incarnation is the greatest thing that has ever happened. “…the greatest event in our history, the Incarnation; the Word became flesh” —Pope Benedict XVI (Pastoral visit to Loreto. October 4th, 2012.) 

I felt that quoting this teaching from the Pope on Christmas Day would be a good invitation to contemplate the great mystery we celebrate. Yet, after a vulgar, anonymous Catholic Twitter troll decided to spend his time on Christmas Day lashing out at me for quoting Benedict there, I figured I’d here provide some thoughts on why I believe Benedict is correct.

(First, a forenote: Let no one dismiss such considerations as “futile” or “superfluous.”  In fact, the works of God are permeated with hierarchy. His plan is the very opposite of some bland, uniform, everything/everyone-is-the-same Communistic dystopia. Since this hierarchical structure in all things is how God has chosen to operate, we would do well to appreciate it instead of dismiss it. In fact, it is not only an authentic and orthodox theology that depends upon it, but also an edifying spirituality.) 

My critic’s reasoning (and, I gather, the reasoning of most who hold his view) is that since Easter Sunday is the most Liturgically exalted feast, it must necessarily follow that the event it commemorates (the Resurrection) is the (ontologically) greatest event that has ever happened.

Yet, this reasoning is deeply flawed. By its logic, the birth of Christ is ontologically superior to the incarnation of Christ, since Christmas (December 25th) is much more Liturgically exalted than the Annunciation (March 25th). And that is obviously absurd. We celebrate Christmas with more exaltation because it commemorates the event at which the Incarnation was made manifest -–its open revelation. It does not follow that the event of the birth of Christ is superior to the event when he actually became incarnate, 9 months earlier, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin. It was at the Annunciation, not the birth of Christ, that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Infinite and Almighty God Himself, became a man. That was the moment the infinite entered into the finite and assumed human nature into Himself. That is the unthinkably, unspeakably glorious moment that absolutely nothing else that ever has happened or ever will happen shall match, much less exceed.

Also by the logic of my critic, the dedication of the basilica of St. John Lateran (a highly Liturgically exalted Feast Day – not just a Liturgical “memorial”) is ontologically superior to: 

  • God the Father 
  • The creation of the universe, 
  • Adam & Eve themselves
  • Noah’s preservation of the human race by building the Ark, 
  • Abraham passing the test, 
  • Moses receiving the 10 Commandments, 
  • All of the old testament prophets heralding Christ, 
  • Christ’s institution of the Sacrament of Confession, Matrimony, & others not highly Liturgically exalted, 
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe converting an entire hemisphere to Christ, 
  • The Battle of Lepanto saving Christendom from being conquered by Islam,
  • …. and on the list goes. 

(All those events/persons either have no specific Liturgical celebration, or have Liturgical celebrations of a caliber inferior to that of the dedication of that basilica.) And this, too, is of course manifestly absurd. Those events/persons themselves exceed, by far, the dedication of that particular basilica, notwithstanding their lesser Liturgical status.

There are many reasons why one Liturgical celebration may enjoy more exaltation than another — only one of those reasons is that it is a celebration commemorating an intrinsically superior event. In the case of the Incarnation vs. the Resurrection, that distinction is just one of a multitude of cases wherein a superior Liturgical celebration does not imply a superior event being commemorated.

Some other considerations:

  • During the recitation of the Creed, it is only while we recall the Incarnation that we kneel or bow. Catholics have always done this at that time alone of the Creed precisely because the faithful have always realized the Incarnation is the most sublime mystery. 
  • Many, many people have been miraculously raised from the dead throughout history. Obviously the Resurrection of Christ is far superior to these miracles— but, still, there is a similarity. With the Incarnation, on the other hand, there is absolutely nothing similar to it, nor will there ever be. It is categorically unique in every sense of the word.
  • It is the Incarnation (not the Resurrection) that split history in two – B.C. and A.D.
  • It is a fundamental tenet of Protestant theology that the Resurrection is superior to the Incarnation. They use this (false) premise to bolster their anti-Incarnational view of Christianity (e.g., devoid of most of the Sacraments, devoid of exalted Liturgy, devoid of Hierarchy, etc.). By exalting the Resurrection above everything else (and especially the Incarnation), Protestants seek to bolster their “faith alone” and “scripture alone” heresies.  Catholic theology, on the other hand, exalts the Incarnation as supreme, and this provides the basis for the incarnational view of Christianity, which is the correct view.
  • It is certainly true, as Scripture says, that “if Christ is not raised, your Faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15). Yet, if God did not become man, our Faith does not even exist to begin with. 
  • For many centuries, it was not the Scripture verses about the Resurrection, but rather the Scripture verses about the Incarnation, that are & were recited at the end of each Mass:  the Johannine Prologue (John 1:1-18). About this, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski writes: “This Prologue, as Thomas says in his commentary on John, states the essence of our faith and refutes all heresies even before they have appeared; it proclaims in the clearest and boldest terms the Incarnation of the Son of God, on which our entire religion and its highest form of worship rests.”
  • The Incarnation was an eternal decree of God (I’m a Thomist, but yes, I side with Bl. Scotus on this issue), whereas the Passion, Death, & Resurrection of Christ were contingent (on the fact that man sinned). Eternal decrees are always ontologically superior to contingent decrees. I’ve written extensively on this elsewhere, including my most recent book (Part Two).

My critics will, of course, castigate me for “disrespecting” or “de-emphasizing” the Resurrection. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Resurrection of the Lord is earth-shattering, overwhelming, extraordinary, and eternity-changing, in every sense of the terms. We must live every day of our lives in honor of the Resurrection. But still, the Incarnation is ontologically supreme.

I have many more reasons for believing the Incarnation was the greatest event in history. I will save them for another time.

God bless you!

In Christ, through Mary,

Daniel