(optional) Memorial of Saint Albert the Great, bishop and Doctor of the Church
(II John
4-9; Luke 17:26-37)
The author
of today’s first reading from II John astutely notes the centrality of the
Incarnation in Catholic belief. He
condemns the teaching that Jesus Christ was not born human. The fact that the Son of God shared a human
nature makes everything we do on earth critical to our salvation in Christ.
St. Albert
the Great could hardly but confirm the humanity of the Son of God. He was one of the greatest theologians of his
time and every bit orthodox. His
philosophical model is Aristotle, a pagan thinker who nevertheless has been
reconciled with Christian faith without much difficulty. Albert’s intellectual offspring, St. Thomas
Aquinas, remains one of history’s preeminent Christian theologians.
We must
cherish belief in the Incarnation. It
upholds the importance of our bodies, principally our works of charity, to our
salvation. By taking on human form,
Christ both exemplifies and magnifies what our humanity means.
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