I NSTITUTE OF C HRIST THE K ING S OVEREIGN P RIEST Et Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis! “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us!” During this Advent season we contemplate the mysterious reality of the Incarnation: the infinite, powerful, and unfathomable Almighty God chose to become a Child in order to make our humanity the instrument of redemption for the whole universe. The union of God and man in the divine Person of Christ, which is called hypostatic union by theologians, is unique and unlike any other. His humanity, imbued of divine force like a piece of linen is imbued with precious oil, continues to operate in the Church which He founded. Foremost, the humanity of Christ is present in her sacraments and in the human words of divine wisdom which she administers in her infallible doctrine. Through these, the whole life of the Church gradually is penetrated by divine grace. The Liturgy of the Church, which includes venerable gestures and ceremonies, holy signs and devotions, as well as law and discipline, is all an outcome of her contact with the Divinity, coming to her through her invisible head, the God-man Jesus Christ. Like a channel, His humanity brings to us abundant fruits of the grace of union, as long as we keep our own humanity open to the influence of our Savior in the Church. Thus, we understand that the stable of Bethlehem, like the house of Nazareth, together with the mystery of the Incarnation, contains also the mystery of the Church. Finalized by the sacrificial immolation on the Cross, the triumphant resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, the apparition of the Church as the continuation of the Incarnation of God in this world began on the Holy Night of Christmas. Then it was witnessed by only a few, while operating already for the salvation of so many. The Catholic Church: Continuation of the Incarnation A DVENT REFLECTION BY MSGR. MICHAEL S CHMITZ