When God Became One of Us

(Plain Text Version)

WHY WOULD GOD WANT TO BE ONE OF US?

I believe that the one Person, Jesus Christ, is both God and man.
(From Msgr. Stedman’s Missal)

The problem: Alienation from God.

Before Adam and Eve sinned, you could say that they “had everything”.  The entire world was theirs to use.  They were given the command to manage the world.  A most wonderful society could have developed.  The goods of the Earth would be shared equitably.  There would be no crime, sickness or death.  Imagine a society where new people aren’t strangers, only “friends you haven’t met”.  In a word, evil was unknown to the human race.
The greatest blessing was that God was always close and accessible.  One could converse with God freely. 
Imagine you are the son or daughter of a wealthy businessman who has just died.  As the will is read, you find out that everything goes to you, in particular a financial empire worth billions of dollars.  After an uncomfortable pause, your attorney informs you that the business was actually bankrupt, and that the creditors have seized everything.  You won’t even be allowed in the door.
Our first parents lost everything when they tried to “be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).  Because they lost their perfect world and their friendship with God, they couldn’t pass it on to their children.  We have inherited a troubled world.  And we ourselves have inherited the desire to “be like God”, deciding for ourselves what we will do.  We have a world of conflict and we ourselves are in conflict with God.

The Solution: Reconciliation by the God-Man Jesus Christ.
No one could have guessed what God would do.  Even now, we cannot understand it fully: God took on a human nature so that He could suffer and bring us back to a good relationship with Him.

The Greater Good: Intense Closeness with God.
Whenever evil happens, God always works a greater good.  In Jesus Christ, we have a       divinely perfect friend.  During His visible time on Earth, Jesus showed us what this friendship is like.  Since Jesus returned to Heaven, His friendship is even closer: In the Holy  Eucharist, we can be present at His sacrifice, we can adore God face-to-face, and we can    receive Him into our very bodies.

Our Response: The Sacramental Life.
To enjoy God’s new plan, we don’t have to be perfect, but we do have to be humble.    Through the sacraments, God will perfect us!