The Divinity and Humanity of Christ
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The early Christian Fathers all taught that Christ is God. They taught that Christ is the Word of God incarnate as a human born of the Virgin Mary. Not only did they teach Christ was begotten from eternity, they also taught that He became a man and lived on earth as the only begotten Son of God. Christ’s nature, according to the early church Fathers, was the same essence and substance of God. This is an important teaching in the doctrine of the Trinity in that Christ, being a separate person from the Father, comes from the Father and at the same time is one God.
The divinity of Christ, the virgin birth, and the humanity of Christ was debated in the early church continually. The early church fathers defended the authentic and original view found in Scripture that we still believe today. Below are quotes from the early Christian Fathers on Christ as the Word of God, the Virgin Birth, and the Incarnation.
St. Ignatius of Antioch: “And God the Word was truly born of the Virgin, having clothed Himself with a body of like passions with our own. He who forms all men in the womb, was Himself really in the womb, and made for Himself a body of the seed of the Virgin, but without any intercourse of man.”Ignatius a.d. 30–107
St. Clement of Alexandria: “Now, O you, my children, our Instructor is like His Father God, whose son He is, sinless, blameless, and with a soul devoid of passion; God in the form of man, stainless, the minister of His Father’s will, the Word who is God, who is in the Father, who is at the Father’s right hand, and with the form of God is God. He is to us a spotless image; to Him we are to try with all our might to assimilate our souls.” Clement of Alexandria a.d. 153–193–217
Dom Prosper Gueranger, not an early Church Father, writes: “Everything is mystery in this holy season. The Word of God, whose generation is before the day-star, is born in time: A Child is God. A Virgin becomes a Mother and remains a Virgin. Things divine are commingled with those that are human. And the sublime, the ineffable antithesis, expressed by the Beloved Disciple in those words of his Gospel, The Word was made flesh, is repeated in a thousand different ways in all the prayers of the Church. And rightly so, for it admirably embodies the whole of the great portent that unites in one Person the nature of Man and the nature of God. The splendor of this mystery dazzles the understanding, but it inundates the heart with joy. It is the consummation of the designs of God in time. It is the endless subject of admiration and wonder to the Angels and Saints. Nay, it is the source and cause of their beatitude. Let us see how the Church offers this mystery to her children, veiled under the symbolism of the Liturgy.”
On behalf of all of the priests of St. Eugene’s, I would like to wish you a very happy and holy Christmas. Let us all hope and pray that 2021 brings an end to this pandemic and that normal life can resume once again. God Bless You All!
—Fr. Epperson
Announcements
2021 CHURCH CALENDARS: Due to a glitch with the publisher, our Calendars will not arrive until the last week of January. We are sorry for this inconvenience and will make them available after all Masses when they finally arrive!
MANY THANKS to those of you who have given a bit extra each week to help us with our deficit. We are steadily chipping away at it! The pandemic has hit us hard, for about two thirds of our parishioners are unable to come to Mass. This is just a reminder that on-line giving is quite easy to do. Just go to our website at www.steugenes.com and click the “GIVE” button. You can then use your credit card to make your donation. I would also urge those who may want to close out their tax year with a donation, to do it soon! Every little bit helps!
CHRISTMAS MASSES: Just one final reminder that all of our Masses, except the Midnight Mass with the Bishop, will be in-person/outdoor Masses. Because of the curfew, the Midnight Mass will be live-streamed (beginning at 11:30 pm, not 12:00 Midnight). Also, the Bishop’s 10:30 a.m.Christmas Day Mass will be live-streamed and the faithful may gather outside, as per usual.
FLOWER MEMORIAL ENVELOPES: Tomorrow we will be sending out a special edition of the Pastor’s Notes, remembering our dearly departed. A list of all the names that were sent to us in your Flower Donation Envelopes will be attached.
Parish Finances in the Age of COVID
As you all know, these are hard times for all parishes in terms of finances. Even though we are “shut down,” the bills keep coming in and salaries have to be paid. For those of you who have been giving a little extra each week/month, I really appreciate your generosity. For those of you who are unable to come to Mass, please consider giving on-line or the good old-fashioned way, by mail. Thank you and God bless you. Learn more »
Year to Date:
Income $623,036
Short fall $-24,985
THANK YOU to all of those parishioners who gave a bit extra to help us decrease our shortfall.
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