the incarnation

What is the Incarnation?
The Annunciation by Fra Angelico

By the word
‘Incarnation’ we mean
that God the Son took
to himself a human
nature like our own.
KEY DEFINITION

The word ‘Incarnation’
expresses the fact that
Jesus Christ is:
… not merely a man
… a perfect man
… or even a saint
But God himself become man
for our salvation.

How did Jesus Christ come to be born?
The Nativity by Fra Angelico

The Annunciation is the
historical event when God
the Father, through the
angel Gabriel, asked the
Virgin Mary to become the
mother of his Son.
“Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!
... Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favour with God. And behold, you will
conceive in your womb and bear a son, and
you shall call his name Jesus.”
Lk 1:28-31

Mary, who was and remained
a virgin, questioned how she
could conceive a child.
The angel answered that this
child would be conceived
through a miracle:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Most High will overshadow
you; therefore the child to be born will be
called holy, the Son of God.”
Lk 1:35

Mary gave her free consent to
become the Mother of God,
opening the way to our
salvation:
“And Mary said, “Behold, I am
the handmaid of the Lord; let it be
to me according to your word.”
Lk 1:38

The Annunciation is
the moment of the
Incarnation. Mary
responds in humble
assent to the message
of the Angel Gabriel.
God the
Holy Spirit
Acceptance of God
the Son
God the
Father
Mary
The Angel Gabriel

God the
Holy Spirit
Acceptance of God
the Son
God the
Father
Fruitfulness
the effect of grace.
Barrenness
the effect of Original Sin.
The Fall and
Expulsion from
Eden
Revelation
the pulling back of the veil.
Mary
The Angel Gabriel

The angel of the Lord also
appeared to Joseph, Mary’s
betrothed, assuring him that this
child was born of God and to
take Mary home as his wife.
At the time of a census called by
the Roman Emperor Augustus,
Jesus was born in Joseph’s
home town of Bethlehem, the
City of David.

Here in Bethlehem, Jesus, the
king of kings, was born in the
poverty of a stable.
His birth was heralded by a
miraculous appearance of
angels to nearby shepherds,
and a star in the heavens which
guided wise men to him.
“She gave birth to her first-born son and
wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid
him in a manger.”
Lk 2:4-7
‘Bethlehem’ means ‘the house
of bread’ (a link to the
Eucharist); we celebrate the
birth of Jesus at ‘Christmas’,
meaning ‘the Mass of Christ’.

What are the titles of Jesus Christ?
The Baptism of Christ by Piero della Francesca

Jesus
This is a Hebrew name
meaning ‘God saves’,
expressing well in itself
the purpose of the
Incarnation.
“And behold, you will
conceive in your womb and
bear a son, and you shall call
his name Jesus.”
Lk 1:31

Christ
This is from the Greek
christos, meaning
‘anointed one’, a title
of a priest, prophet or
king. This word was
used by the Jews for
the promised Messiah.
Simon Peter replied,
“You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God.”
Mt 16:16

Lord
This is from the
Greek kyrios, often
used for addressing
God in the Bible.
His name is the LORD
(Kyrios), exult before him!
Ps 68:4

Son of God
This is a title of the
Messiah and also
indicates the divinity of
Jesus Christ.
“The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of
the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the
child to be born will be called
holy, the Son of God.”
Lk 1:35

Son of Man
This is a title of the
Messiah and also
indicates the humanity
of Jesus Christ.
“For the Son of Man
came to seek and to
save the lost.”
Lk 19:10

Summary
Questions
to reinforce
key points
Discussion
questions
Practical
activities
Presentation Part II
Summary Activities I
Please select an activity or go immediately
to part II of the presentation

Summary
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
• By the word ‘Incarnation’ we mean that
God the Son took to himself a human
nature like our own.
• The Annunciation is the historical event
when God the Father, through the angel
Gabriel, asked the Virgin Mary to
become the mother of his Son.
• Jesus was born in Bethlehem. His birth
was heralded by an appearance of angels
to shepherds and a star in the heavens
which guided wise men to him.
• The main titles of the incarnate God-man
are ‘Jesus’, ‘Christ’, ‘Lord’, ‘Son of God’,
‘Son of Man’ and ‘Son of David’.

Questions to reinforce key points
Jesus
Christ
Lord
Son of God
Son of Man
Son of David
What are the main titles of Jesus?
1
2
Click on a box to reveal one
of the answers
3
4
5
6

Discussion questions
• Discuss what the accounts of
the Annunciation and birth of
Jesus Christ in Luke 1:26-38
and Luke 2:1-20 teach us
about the Incarnation.
• Read Galatians 4:4-7 and
discuss what this reveals to us
about the reasons for the
Incarnation.
Select one or more of the following:

Practical activities
• Read the Compendium of the Catechism
questions 81-94.
• Read through the infancy narrative in
the Gospel of Matthew 1:18-2:15.
• Find one or more further
representations of the Annunciation
or Nativity such as a painting, a crib
or a Christmas card. Discuss how
these pictures communicate the
mystery of the Incarnation.

True God and True Man
The Nativity by Petrus Christus

The divinity and humanity of
Jesus Christ were revealed
throughout his life on earth.
Elizabeth hailed Mary as
‘mother of my Lord’ and
wise men came to worship
him at his birth (Mt 2:11).

The Gospel of John states
that the Word, who is God,
became flesh:
In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was
God. He was in the beginning with God;
all things were made through him, and
without him was not anything made that
was made ... And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us, full of grace and
truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of
the only Son from the Father.
Jn 1:1-3, 14

Ass looking away
from Christ
symbol of unbelief.
Humanity
burdened by sin
The triangle
symbol of the
Trinity.
Mary Joseph
Jesus
Angels
Adam Eve
Removed
Sandals
call to adoration
and symbol of
Jesus’ divinity.
Jesus on Mary’s
mantle
Jesus lies on the
untainted mantle of
Mary rather than on
the barren soil of the
fallen world.
The candle
symbol of Jesus, the
‘light of the world’.
Ox looking
towards Christ
symbol of belief.
Joseph and the
angels adore
The battle of
good and evil

The ‘Word made flesh’ is the
origin of the term
‘Incarnation’, from the Latin
caro, -nis, meaning ‘flesh’, and
in, meaning ‘into’.
The meaning and implications
of the Incarnation are set out
in the Creed.

The Incarnation in the Creed
The Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico

JESUS IS TRUE GOD
I believe in one Lord, Jesus
Christ, the only Son of
God, eternally begotten of
the Father, God from
God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in
Being with the Father.
Through him all things
were made.
He was, is and always
will be God with the
Father and the Holy
Spirit.
He is begotten not made, a
divine person, not a
created person like us.
All created things came
to be through him.

JESUS IS TRUE MAN
For us men and for our
salvation he came down
from heaven: by the power
of the Holy Spirit he was
born of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
He became man, body
and soul, participating
fully in human life, and
remaining incarnate to
unite humanity with
God forever.

MISTAKES ABOUT THE INCARNATION
 Docetism
Denies that Jesus has
come ‘in the flesh’, and
claims that he only appears
to be human.

 Arianism
Denies that Jesus is truly
God, and claims he is
only a subordinate ‘god’
or merely a creature.

 Nestorianism
Denies that Jesus is one
person, God the Son, and
claims he is two
conjoined persons.

 Monophysitism
Denies that Jesus has a
distinct human nature and
claims his divinity absorbs
his humanity.

The Incarnation and the Hail Mary
The Virgin in Prayer by Sassoferrato

The Incarnation and the Hail Mary
The prayer Hail Mary is
based on the words of the
Angel Gabriel and Elizabeth
to Mary. It includes the title
‘Mother of God’ because of
the Incarnation.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with
you. Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Summary
Questions
to reinforce
key points
Discussion
questions
Practical
activities
Summary Activities II
Please select an activity or go immediately
to the concluding prayer
Concluding Prayer

Summary
Activities Menu
• The ‘Word made flesh’ is the origin of the
term ‘Incarnation’, from the Latin caro, -nis,
meaning ‘flesh’, and in, meaning ‘into’.
• The meaning and implications of the
Incarnation are set out in the Creed. This
articulates how Jesus Christ is both true
God and true man.
• The prayer Hail Mary is based on the words
of the Angel Gabriel and Elizabeth to Mary.
It includes the title ‘Mother of God’
because of the Incarnation.
Concluding Prayer

Questions to reinforce key points
The only Son of God … begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven.
He become incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
What does the Creed say about
Jesus Christ and the Incarnation?
Activities Menu Concluding Prayer
1
2
3
4
Click on a box to reveal one
of the answers

Discussion questions
Activities Menu
• Discuss how we can
demonstrate from Scripture
that Jesus Christ is not merely
a man, a perfect man or even a
saint, but God himself become
man for our salvation.
• Discuss what the Prologue of
the Gospel of John 1:1-14
teaches us about the
Incarnation.
Concluding Prayer

Practical activities
Activities Menu
• Look again at the The Nativity by
Petrus Christus (left) and identify what
the symbols communicate about the
Incarnation.
• Read through one or more of the
following: the Apostles’ creed; the
Nicene creed used in the Mass; the
Athanasian creed. Note carefully what
is said about Jesus’ origin and identity.
• Pray the Hail Mary, pausing for a short
period of meditation after each line.
Concluding Prayer

Final Prayer
Ave Verum Corpus
Hail true body born of the Virgin Mary,
That truly suffered and was sacrificed on the Cross for men,
From whose pierced side flowed water and blood;
Be for us a foretaste of death and judgment.
O sweet Jesus! O gentle Jesus! O Jesus, son of Mary.
Amen.

the incarnation

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the incarnation