John 6:42
They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
The Incarnation has always been the hardest doctrine for people to believe. There is something so dullingly ordinary about what our senses present to us that we figure there just can’t be anything going on behind the scenes with things and people that we see every day. Somehow, the knowledge that Jesus was fully human, with parents like anybody else, made it impossible for His hearers to believe that He could be anything special – even when they had just seen Him perform the miracle of the loaves and fishes. This curious inertia still afflicts us today. We find it hard to believe that our dull and uninteresting neighbor will one day go up to heaven just as we found it hard to believe the fascinating and amazing Jesus came down from there. The problem might lie not with the teaching of Christ concerning His origin and our destiny, but with our ability to believe. Today, believe.
By Mark Shea
Mark P. Shea is a Catholic author, blogger, and speaker.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO OUR READERS
Catholic Exchange is free—but it is not free to produce. Advertising revenue covers only a fraction of the cost to generate reliably Catholic commentary and news, inspiring videos, a selection of the best Catholic blogs, and daily meditations and prayers.
To give us the strength and stability we need, Catholic Exchange is turning to you—our loyal reader—and asking you to become a monthly contributor.
Whether you can give $5 or $25, $50 or $100 each month, please leave something behind so we can continue—and strengthen—this important apostolate.
We are deeply grateful for one-time gifts, but we encourage you to choose “Monthly” on the drop-down menu. Your support will ensure that Catholic Exchange will be here during this most critical moment for the Church and America.
