The Incarnation Next to Me
By Jessica Coblentz
I kept thinking about the incarnation as I lay on the cement floor in St. Mark’s Cathedral this evening during Compline prayer. I was between Stephanie and Jen, two of my best friends since childhood. Throughout our friendships they have been constant pillars in my spiritual life. Each of us comes from her own unique Christian upbringing, and even as we all spent our undergraduate years with the Jesuits, we still hold many differences in faith. Yet they have always been embodiments of Christ to me. Real Love in Flesh and Blood. Truth speakers in some of the most trying of circumstances.
According to Roman Catholic doctrine, one of the major reasons women cannot be ordained priests is the fact that Christ became human in the form of a man. The priest, who represents Jesus in the consecration of the Eucharist, must therefore be male in order to adequately reflect Christ’s embodiment. I’ve acquired plenty of strong theological arguments to dismiss the institution’s logic on this matter, but tonight I didn’t need any intellectual assertions to support by belief that Christ’s embodiment was not merely male. No. There next to me, on my right and on my left, Jesus lay in Flesh and Blood. Skin and Bones. Jen and Steph.
The Incarnation I witness every day is often female, just as it is often male. And it is always a Mystery.
Jessica Coblentz is a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School. Follow her writing on the Web at www.jessicacoblentz.com.
Tags: incarnation, Jessica Coblentz
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:10 pm
[...] The Incarnation Next to Me Jump to Comments Emerging Women is currently posting entries about the incarnation, so I reworked an older piece for a contribution on their site entitled, “The Incarnation Next to Me.” [...]
September 27th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
spiritual life is really more important than our earthly life;,”
October 13th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
of course spiritual life is more important than our physical life on earth`;-
October 24th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
i think that we should always strike a balance between spiritual life and our physical life here on earth”"-
July 5th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Spiritual life is the best, you learn always learn to treat others with respect and also have a good and clean living..
September 7th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Several genuinely fantastic material, Gladiolus I detected the following.
September 23rd, 2011 at 11:28 pm
People do not like change, and CrossFit is just that.
October 16th, 2011 at 4:16 am
Visitor recommendations trackback…
[...]all of these websites might not really be entirely related to our site but we most definitely feel you should really visit all of them[...]…
October 29th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
cfmojfnfshjohxpnfo, Dangers of hcg diet, zshQQGn, [url=http://hcgdiet-advice.com/]Variations on hcg diet[/url], CjAynQM, http://hcgdiet-advice.com/ Dr. oz hcg diet, ylUqPEN.
October 29th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
aioxcfnfshjohxpnfo, Free online slot casino, XCVGEOp, [url=http://twizcard.com/]Best online casino sports betting[/url], PwsuuaG, http://twizcard.com/ Online casino advertising, TvnBFWs.
November 4th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
srskvfnfshjohxpnfo, Locksmith schools oregon, BxasGlc, [url=http://oregon-locksmith.com/]Locksmith hillsboro oregon[/url], NccjwPi, http://oregon-locksmith.com/ Fast asap locksmith hillsboro oregon, zyqEDtq.