The Word Became Flesh

A Homily for the Day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos

The Mystery hidden from the ages is revealed today, and the Son of God becomes the Son of Man; man becomes God, that Adam may be made divine (Verse at the Lauds, Tone 2)

Today holy Church commemorates and celebrates the wondrous Mystery, beyond the power of mortal minds to fathom: the incarnation and the becoming-man of the Creator of the ages and the worlds, the Son of God. The God who cannot be contained is contained within the pure womb of the God-bearing Maiden; the bodiless One takes flesh; the One without beginning is conceived; the Unapproachable becomes approachable; the Word takes on flesh; the infinitely great makes Himself small, and the boundless takes on measure; God is mingled with men, and is not ashamed to call them His brethren[1]. Thus the Mystery hidden from the ages, from the very beginning, and unknown even to the angels, is revealed today, and the Son of God becomes the Son of Man, so that by taking upon Himself what is lower—that is, our nature—He might grant us what is incomparably higher: sanctification, renewal, and deification. It is fitting to cry out in rapture: let creation rejoice, let all nature keep festival with gladness—that is, both the whole human race, honored with such dignity by God, and all creation, heaven and earth, as they see God, who out of His measureless tender mercy came down to creation and took upon Himself the nature of creation for the sake of its salvation.

O unfathomable Mystery, a Mystery most joyful and ravishing to every soul that grasps it spiritually, and yet at the same time a fearsome Mystery! For our sins were the cause of such condescension, of such self-emptying. Only the all-good, all-wise and almighty God could have devised so extraordinary a remedy for the salvation of perishing man, and could have so abased Himself, in order to heal us of pride and of every sin by His own example, and to teach us humility and obedience and every virtue. A Mystery, I say, most joyful and ravishing to the soul! How we have all, brothers and sisters, been honored by the incarnation of the Son of God from the all-pure Virgin: exalted, made glad, consoled! God is with us: He has become our Intercessor, our Redeemer, our Savior; the Mother of God has become our Mother by grace, our Advocate, our Protectress, our Shelter. Imagine what would have become of mankind had the Son of God not come down so wondrously, so graciously, to us sinners, darkened and a thousand times unhappy because of sin and enmity against God! How poor, how pitiable, how hopeless, how comfortless mankind would be amid its countless calamities! But now what constant consolation for those who believe and repent there is in the Son of God incarnate for our sake! He is the hope, the cleansing, the sanctification and the salvation of all penitent sinners; the defense of the wronged; the consolation of all who mourn; the encouragement of the despondent; the rest of the weary and burdened; the reward of those who strive, the light of those in darkness; the strength of the weak; the helper in good labors; the comrade in spiritual battles; the joy of all the righteous; eternal life for all who believe in Him: whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, he will live[2], says the Lord. But the incarnation of the Son of God is at the same time a fearsome and instructive Mystery as well, if we consider what it was that brought the Son of God down to such self-emptying, and to what we men are called and bound by the incarnation of the Son of God. On God’s side, the cause of His becoming man was His infinite love for us, His creatures—the love of the Archetype for His living, rational image, fallen and perishing, for we are His image; and on our side, our sins, our terrible fall, our inevitable eternal perdition.

So what does the incarnation of the Son of God require of us? Immediate, sincere, unfeigned, and steadfast repentance for all sins, amendment of the heart, and a righteous, holy life. Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy[3]. Come out from among the corrupt and be separate, and touch no unclean thing: and I will receive you, and will be a Father to you, and you will be to Me sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty[4]. What precisely the Lord Jesus Christ requires of us—that is, holiness and righteousness—you can convince yourselves of every day by the Lord’s Prayer itself, the Our Father, in which He, the Lord, teaches us above all to pray that we may live holy and righteously according to the will of God, and not according to our own: May Your name be hallowed, may Your kingdom come, may Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth[5]. Thus the incarnation of the Son of God lays upon us, brothers and sisters, this indispensable obligation: to live righteously and holily, reverently and honorably, and to turn away from every sin, from every unrighteousness and impurity. Otherwise we will be unworthy of the Son of God and of His kingdom, and we will prepare for ourselves the heaviest condemnation, both here and in eternity. Amen.