Why Did God Humble Himself...?
Hello Father,
My wife and I belong to a group called couples for Christ. We meet once a
week for study, prayer and praise. We have begun an apologetics study of our
Catholic faith begining with the Eucharist. In your opinion, why did God
choose to humble himself and become present in the bread and wine?*********
The answer to your question is fairly easy. The problem is there is a prior question which is most
difficult. St. Anselm (and many others) asked it, Cur Deus Homo? Why did God become man?
The usual answer is that God loved us so much that he sent his only Son Jesus (Jn 3:16) for our
salvation, to take away the condemnation of our sins by dying on the cross. St. Ireneus says God
became man so that man could be divinized. "God became man so that man could become God,"
says St. Augustine. It is really pretty mind blowing that we can actually "become partakers in the
divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4)
Having stated (not really "explained") why God became man, it is pretty evident why Jesus chose to
continue his presence in bread and wine. He wanted to communicate his life in a form everyone
could grasp - and what could be more universal than food?
Keep up your studies in Couples for Christ. I saw their beautiful work when Fr. Vince Pastro & I
visited the Philippines.
God bless,
Fr. Phil Bloom
*********
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