The Incarnation and The Communion of Saints
A brief reflection on the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph
Today, the Church celebrates the Annunciation.
The Angel Gabriel shows up with the heavenly message. Mary says yes, and… God Himself becomes a human being. No big deal, right? WRONG!
Oftentimes, I feel like Catholics tend to miss the weight of this reality. After all, we are fickle human beings, and we tend to pass over things if they are frequently repeated to us. The Church reminds us constantly that Christ is God in the flesh. If you’re like me, a cradle Catholic, then this has been repeated for as long as you can remember. The significance of that reality soon becomes lost on us, and we forget the implications of the Incarnation.
One such implication is: If God would do something as massive as humbling Himself to become a human, then there needs to be a purpose to it. We realize God’s purpose in the opening of the Gospel of John,
“To those who did accept Him, He gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12)
The point of the Incarnation is to make us children of God so that God can bring us to Heaven and deify us. That is incredible news! Before the Incarnation, we were hopeless slaves to sin and death. Following the Annunciation, a plan has been put in place to free us from the snares of Satan.
Implications on Earth
We know that to become children of God we must go through Baptism, which makes us a part of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). Once we are baptized, we are viewed as being a part of Christ. Who better to see and recognize that “Imago Christi” than those who have been perfected in love- the Church Triumphant?
This is another implication of the Incarnation that is lost on us- those in Heaven see Christ in us; therefore, they love us as they love Christ. Again, this is incredible news for us! That means that the Saints pray and intercede for us in Heaven with a perfected, loving fervor.
Being the month of March, it would be ridiculous to not think of St. Joseph as one of our strongest and most loving intercessors. He loved Jesus so beautifully on Earth, so it only makes sense that he would do the same while in Heaven. If we are marked with the Imago Christi, then he is interceding for us with the same love and devotion that prompted him to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus and Our Lady.
All of this is only possible because Christ came in the flesh at the Annunciation, and all Heaven rejoiced then. . . and they continue to even now! So, take advantage of the graces today. Let it be a celebration that Christ came in the flesh to bring you into His Body, and now all the saints see Christ in you and love you more deeply than you could possibly imagine!