Jesus ‘conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary’

The third article of St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catechetical Instructions concerns “Who (Jesus) was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.”

St. Thomas writes, “The Christian must not only believe in the Son of God, as we have seen, but also in His Incarnation. St. John, after having written of things subtle and difficult to understand, (in John 1:1-13) points out the Incarnation to us when he says, ‘And the Word was made flesh (John 1:14).’”

Now, in order that we may understand something of this, I give an illustration at the outset. It is clear that there is nothing more like the Word of God than the word that is conceived in our mind but not spoken. Now, no one knows this interior word in our mind except the one who connives it, and then it is known to others only when it is pronounced. Also, as long as the Word of God was in the heart of the Father, it was not known except by the Father Himself; but when the Word assumed flesh — as a word becomes audible — then was it first made manifest and known.

St. Thomas then goes on to address several errors.  

He writes, “Manichaeus said that Christ was always the Son of God and He descended from heaven, but He was not actually but only in appearance clothed in true flesh. But this is false, because it is not worthy of the Teacher of Truth to have anything to do with what is false, and just as He showed His physical Body, so it was really His: ‘ … handle, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see I have’ (Lk 24:39). To remove this error, therefore, they (Council Fathers) added, ‘And He was incarnate.’”

Some of you may have heard from your Protestant friends that Mary was “just a vessel.” Here, St. Thomas writes, “Valentinus believed that Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, but would have the Holy Spirit deposit a heavenly body in the Blessed Virgin, so that she contributed nothing to Christ's birth except to furnish a place for Him. Thus, he said, this Body appeared by means of the Blessed Virgin, as though she were a channel. This is a great error, for the Angel said: ‘ … therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Lk 1:35).’ And the Apostle (Paul) adds: ‘But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman … (Gal 4:4)’ Hence the Creed says: ‘Born of the Virgin Mary.’”

He then goes on to list some good effects of these considerations.

“(1) Our faith is strengthened. If, for instance, someone should tell us about a certain foreign land which he himself had never seen, we would not believe him to the extent we would if he had been there. Now, before Christ came into the world, the Patriarchs and Prophets and John the Baptist told something of God; but men did not believe them as they believed Christ, who was with God, nay more, was one with God. Hence, far more firm is our faith in what is given us by Christ Himself. Thus, many mysteries of our faith that before the coming of Christ were hidden from us are now made clear. 

“(2) Our hope is raised up. It is certain that the Son of Man did not come to us, assuming our flesh, for any trivial cause but for our exceeding great advantage. For He made as it were a trade with us, assuming a living body and deigning to be born of the Virgin, in order that to us might be vouchsafed part of His divinity.

“(3) Our charity is enkindled. There is no proof of divine charity so clear as that God, the Creator of all things, is made a creature; that Our Lord is become our brother, and that the Son of God is made the Son of man: ‘For God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son (Jn 3:16).’  Therefore, upon consideration of this our love for God ought to be re-ignited and burst into flame. 

“(4) This induces us to keep our souls pure. Our nature was exalted and ennobled by its union with God to the extent of being assumed into union with a Divine Person. Therefore, one who reflects on this exaltation of his nature and is ever conscious of it, should scorn to cheapen and lower himself and his nature by sin.

St. Thomas closes with a quote from St. Paul (Phil 1:23), “’ … My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.’ And it is this desire which grows in us as we meditate upon the Incarnation of Christ.”