Honor Mary in Christ’s flesh, Church Fathers: Day 360

Honor Mary in Christ’s flesh

Some heretical Christians said that Christ took nothing from Mary when he was conceived in her. St. Irenaeus says those people are badly mistaken. It was Mary’s human nature that made Christ truly human enough to be hungry, tired, or grieving.

Those who suppose that Christ took nothing from the Virgin are badly mistaken. In order to cast away the inheritance of the flesh, they also reject the analogy between Christ and Adam.

And his descent into Mary would also be superfluous in this case. Why did he come down into her if he were to take nothing of her?

Still further, if he had taken nothing of Mary, he would never have made use of those kinds of food that come from the earth, by which the body that has been taken from the earth is nourished. Nor would he have hungered, fasting those forty days, like Moses and Elijah, unless his body was craving after its own proper nourishment; nor, again, would John, his disciple, have said, when writing of Him, “Jesus, wearied as he was with the journey, sat down beside the well” (John 4:6) nor would David have proclaimed of him beforehand, “They have added to the grief of my wounds”; nor would he have wept over Lazarus, nor would he have sweated great drops of blood; nor would he have declared, “My soul is very sor­rowful” (Matthew 26:38); nor, when his side was pierced, would there have come forth blood and water.

All these things are tokens of the flesh that had been derived from the earth, which he had recapitulated in Himself, bringing salvation to his own handiwork.

–St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.22.1

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .

Does remembering that Christ was truly human throughout his sufferings help me face some of my everyday difficulties?

CLOSING PRAYER

Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with you, and the Holy Spirit as well. Beloved of the Lord, be our link with the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

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