Day 67: The Humanity and Divinity of Christ

The Son of God assumed a body animated by a rational human soul. With his human intellect Jesus learned many things by way of experience; but also as man the Son of God had an intimate and immediate knowledge of God his Father. He likewise understood people’s secret thoughts and he knew fully the eternal plans which he had come to reveal. (CCC Compendium #90)

In today's reading, the Catechism talks about the natures and human soul of Christ. To be honest, I couldn't figure out how to shorten this to quote above so chose the summary provided by the CCC Compendium. It is a remarkable mystery, God taking on a human will and nature without the divine essence overwhelming them. While divine, He also was like us in all things except sin. So every temptation we face, He also faced and was able to resist. How extraordinary that One used to...well, everything as God, would have "emptied himself, taking the form of a slave" (Phil 2:7). By assuming a human nature, He truly became approachable one could say. I do like how the Catechism expresses this:

The Son of God... worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. CCC 470

I also like how the Catechism Companion says that "Jesus is what, in human terms, God's own life looks like." (p. 139)

Fully God and fully human. It is a mystery which boggles my finite mind, beyond my full understanding, so therefore I accept it in faith.