TCR 89 - His Humanity Begun

TCR 89

Now since God came down,
and since He is Order itself . . .
it was necessary,
in order for Him actually to become Man,
that He should be conceived,
carried in the womb,
and be born; 
and that He should be educated,
acquiring in due course the knowledge
by which He might attain to intelligence and wisdom.
Therefore as to His Humanity
He was an infant like any other infant,
a boy like any other boy, and so on;
but with this sole difference,
that He passed through
those progressive states sooner,
more fully and more perfectly than others.
That He advanced in this way according to order
is manifest from these words in Luke:

"The child Jesus grew, and waxed strong in spirit;
and increased in wisdom and age (A.V., stature),
and in favor with God and man."
(Luke 2: 40, 52)

That He did so sooner,
more fully and more perfectly than others
appears from the account recorded of Him
in the same Evangelist,
that as a boy, twelve years old,
He sat in the Temple
in the midst of the doctors and taught;
and that all who heard Him were astonished
at His understanding and answers.
(Luke :46, 47; and also 4:6-22, 32)

This was done because the Divine order is
that a man should prepare himself
for the reception of God;
and as he prepares himself
so God enters into him,
as into His own dwelling-place and home.
Such preparation is effected by means of
the knowledge of God
and of the spiritual things belonging to the Church,
and thus by intelligence and wisdom.
For it is a law of order
that so far as a person approaches
and draws near to God,
which he must do entirely as of himself,
so far God approaches and draws near to him,
and interiorly conjoins Himself to him.