Between law and mystery, Joseph's Christmas, right man. And why not “co-redeemer”? – Between law and mystery: the Christmas of Joseph, a righteous man. And why not “co-redeemer”? – Joseph's Christmas, righteous man. And why not “co-redeemer”?

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BETWEEN LAW AND MYSTERY, GIUSEPPE'S CHRISTMAS, RIGHT MAN. AND WHY NOT “CORREDEMPTOR”?

Without Giuseppe, the Incarnation would remain a suspended event, without legal roots. Instead, for his faith and for his justice, the Word enters not only into the flesh, but in the Law, in genealogy, in the concrete history of a people. This is what makes Christmas a truly embodied event, not a simple succession of edifying images, among singing angels, an ox and a donkey reduced to spectacular surrounding heaters and shepherds who come running joyfully.

- Church news -

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On the Christmas stage the scene is crowded. There is Maria, which Christian piety places at the center together with the Child, the angels singing, the shepherds who come running.

Some screenwriters he even decided to include two rudimentary ecological heating systems in the set, an ox and a donkey, depicted by iconography as creatures more faithful than men, which perhaps they really were. Obviously it is a screenplay - to use an expression borrowed from classical theatrical language - very freely inspired by the canonical Gospels, in which however there is no trace of these animal presences; if anything they can be found in some apocryphal gospel, starting from that of pseudo-Matthew.

The various screenwriters and costume designers they thus brought everything to the foreground on the set of Birthday, except he without whom, historically and concretely, Christmas would never happen: Giuseppe.

In popular devotion Giuseppe is often reduced to a marginal presence, almost decorative. Transformed in pious images into a tired old man, reassuring, harmless, as if its function was not to disturb the mystery, of having no weight, of not really counting. But this image, built to defend a truth of faith - the virginity of Mary - it ended up obscuring another, equally fundamental: his real responsibility, concrete and dramatic in the event of the Incarnation.

The Gospel of Matthew introduces it with a sober and legally dense qualification:

«Joseph her husband, that it was right and he didn't want to repudiate her, decided to fire her in secret" (Mt 1,19).

There is no insistence on generic moral qualities, nor on internal attitudes. The decisive category is justice. And justice, in the Gospel story, It's not an emotional outburst, but an operational criterion that translates into a concrete choice.

He learned of Maria's pregnancy, he finds himself faced with a situation he does not understand, but which for this very reason cannot evade and which, rather, must face with wise clarity. The Law would offer him a clear solution, publicly recognized and socially honorable: the repudiation. It is a possibility foreseen by the legal system of the time and would not entail any formal guilt (cf.. Dt 24,1-4). However, Giuseppe does not hire her, because his justice does not end in the literal observance of the norm, but it is measured in the protection of the person.

The decision to fire Maria in secret it is not a sentimental gesture nor a convenient solution. It is a deliberate act, which entails a precise personal cost: exposure to suspicion and loss of reputation. Joseph accepts this risk because his justice is not aimed at what is usually referred to as the defense of personal honor, but rather to safeguard the life and dignity of women. In this sense, he does not doubt Mary. The evangelical text does not reveal any moral suspicion towards the young bride (cf.. Mt 1,18-19). The problem is not trust, but the understanding of an event that exceeds the available categories. This places Joseph in a real state of turmoil, fully human, which however does not translate into doubt about Mary.

It is of fundamental importance to observe that this choice precedes the dream, in which the Angel of the Lord reveals to Joseph the divine origin of Mary's motherhood and invites him to welcome her with him as his bride, entrusting him with the task of naming the Child (cf.. Mt 1,20-21). The intervention of the angel does not guide Joseph's decision, but he assumes it and confirms it. Revelation does not replace human judgment, nor does it nullify it: it fits into it. God speaks to Joseph not to save him from risk, but because the risk has already been accepted in the name of justice: when his freedom is called to choose, he does not make use of the Mosaic Law to which he could legitimately appeal, but he decides to act with love and trust towards Mary, even without fully understanding the event that involves him. Only after this decision is the mystery clarified and named:

«Giuseppe, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary with you, your wife" (Mt 1,20).

Welcoming Mary as his bride, Joseph does not perform a private act: assumes public and legal responsibility, recognize as one's own the child that Mary is carrying in her womb. It is this gesture - and not an internal feeling - that introduces Jesus into the concrete history of Israel. Through Joseph, the Son legally enters the lineage of David, as attested by the Matthean genealogy that immediately precedes the story of childhood.

Giuseppe's paternity is not biological, precisely for this reason it is neither symbolic nor secondary, but real in the strictest sense of the term. It is legal paternity, historical, social. It is Joseph who gives his name to the Child, and it is precisely in imposing the name that he exercises his authority as a father. The angel's command is explicit: «You will call him Jesus» (Mt 1,21). In the biblical world, imposing the name is not a formal act, but the assumption of a permanent responsibility. With that gesture he guarantees the identity and historical position of the Son.

Without him, the Incarnation would remain a suspended event, without legal roots. Instead, for his faith and for his justice, the Word enters not only into the flesh, but in the Law, in genealogy, in the concrete history of a people. This is what makes Christmas a truly embodied event, not a simple succession of edifying images, among singing angels, an ox and a donkey reduced to spectacular surrounding heaters and shepherds who come running joyfully.

All this makes it theologically sound to state that Joseph, the man long placed in prudent - and perhaps even unjust - shadow, he is the figure through which the mystery of Christmas takes on historical and legal consistency. It is through him that the incarnate Word of God enters the Law, not to suffer it, but to accomplish it. In fact, it is no coincidence that more than thirty years later, during his preaching, Jesus affirmed with words of absolute clarity:

"You do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill " (Mt 5,17).

When he then announces that this fulfillment is himself and that - as the Apostle Paul will say - the plan "to recapitulate all things in Christ is realized in Him, those in heaven and things on earth " (Ef 1,10), the shadow of the cross will already begin to be glimpsed, while they will try to stone him: «Because you, that you are a man, you make yourself God" (GV 10,33). The shadow of the cross will appear even more defined in the gesture of the High Priest who will tear his clothes hearing him proclaim himself the Son of God (cf.. Mt 26,65), plastic representation of the fact that the fulfillment of the Law now passes through refusal and sacrifice.

The Word of God becomes incarnate through Mary's yes, but this is historically guarded and protected by Joseph, the one who protected and guarded, together with his wife, the only begotten Son of God. Not in a symbolic or devotional sense, but in the concrete and real sense of history: protecting Mary, he protected the Son; protecting the Son, it has preserved the very mystery of Christmas:

«And the Word became flesh and came to live among us» (GV 1,14).

And that, without any dream theologian, the folder nesury and the Fideist neson — those, to be understood, who stamp their feet for the "Mary co-redemptrix" - has it ever occurred to them to claim, also for the Most Blessed Patriarch Joseph, the title of co-redemptor, equally due and deserved, if you really wanted to play dogmatic fantasy to the fullest, after having completely lost the daily compass, the old one and the new one.

From the island of Patmos, 24 December 2025

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BETWEEN LAW AND MYSTERY: THE CHRISTMAS OF JOSEPH, A RIGHTEOUS MAN. AND WHY NOT “CO-REDEEMER”?

Without Joseph, the Incarnation would remain a suspended event, lacking juridical rootedness. Instead, through his faith and his justice, the Word enters not only into the flesh, but into the Law, into genealogy, into the concrete history of a people. This is what makes Christmas a truly incarnate event, not a mere succession of edifying images, with angels singing, an ox and a donkey reduced to scenic heating devices, and shepherds hastening joyfully to the scene.

— Ecclesial actuality—

Author
Ariel S. Levi di Gualdo.

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On the stage of Christmas the scene is crowded. There is Mary, whom Christian piety places at the centre together with the Child; there are the angels who sing and the shepherds who hasten to the scene. Some scriptwriter has even decided to include on the set two rudimentary forms of ecological heating — an ox and a donkey — portrayed by iconography as creatures more faithful than men, which perhaps they truly were. Clearly, this is a script — to use a term borrowed from classical theatrical language — very freely inspired by the canonical Gospels, in which, however, there is no trace whatsoever of these animal presences; they can rather be found in certain apocryphal texts, beginning with the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew.

Thus, the various scriptwriters and costume designers have brought everything into the foreground on the set of the Dies Natalis, except the one without whom, historically and concretely, Christmas would never have taken place: Joseph.

In popular devotion, Joseph is often reduced to a marginal, almost decorative presence. He is transformed in pious imagery into a weary, reassuring, harmless old man, as though his role were merely not to disturb the mystery, to carry no real weight, to count for nothing. Yet this image, constructed to safeguard a truth of faith — the virginity of Mary — has ended up obscuring another truth, no less fundamental: his real, concrete and dramatic responsibility in the event of the Incarnation.

The Gospel of Matthew introduces him with a sober and juridically weighty qualification:


“Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to dismiss her quietly” (Mt 1:19).

There is no insistence on generic moral qualities, nor on interior attitudes. The decisive category is justice. And justice, in the Gospel narrative, is not an emotional impulse but an operative criterion that takes shape in a concrete decision.

Upon learning of Mary’s pregnancy, he finds himself faced with a situation he does not understand, and precisely for this reason cannot evade, but must instead confront with lucid wisdom. The Law would have offered him a clear, publicly recognised and socially honourable solution: repudiation. This was a possibility provided for by the juridical order of the time and would not have entailed any formal guilt (cf. Dt 24:1–4). Yet Joseph does not avail himself of it, because his justice is not exhausted in the literal observance of the norm, but is measured by the safeguarding of the person.

The decision to dismiss Mary quietly is neither a sentimental gesture nor a convenient compromise. It is a deliberate act that entails a precise personal cost: exposure to suspicion and the loss of reputation. Joseph accepts this risk because his justice is not directed toward what is usually described as the defence of personal honour, but toward the protection of the woman’s life and dignity. In this sense, he does not doubt Mary. The Gospel text allows no hint of moral suspicion toward the young bride (cf. Mt 1:18–19). The problem is not trust, but the understanding of an event that exceeds the available categories. This places Joseph in a condition of real, fully human turmoil, which nevertheless does not translate into doubt regarding Mary.

It is of fundamental importance to observe that this decision precedes the dream, in which the angel of the Lord reveals to Joseph the divine origin of Mary’s motherhood and invites him to take her as his wife, entrusting him with the task of imposing the name upon the Child (cf. Mt 1:20–21). The angelic intervention does not direct Joseph’s decision, but rather assumes it and confirms it. Revelation does not replace human judgment, nor does it annul it: it is grafted onto it. God speaks to Joseph not in order to spare him the risk, but because the risk has already been accepted in the name of justice: when his freedom is called to choose, he does not avail himself of the Mosaic Law to which he could legitimately have appealed, but decides to act with love and trust toward Mary, even though he does not yet fully understand the event that involves him. Only after this decision is the mystery clarified and named:


“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife” (Mt 1:20).

By taking Mary as his wife, Joseph does not perform a private act: he assumes a public and juridical responsibility, recognising as his own the child whom Mary bears in her womb. It is this act — and not an interior sentiment — that introduces Jesus into the concrete history of Israel. Through Joseph, the Son enters legally into the line of David, as attested by the Matthean genealogy that immediately precedes the infancy narrative.

Joseph’s fatherhood is not biological; for this very reason it is neither symbolic nor secondary, but real in the strictest sense of the term. It is juridical, historical and social fatherhood. It is Joseph who gives the Child His name, and precisely in imposing the name he exercises his authority as father. The angel’s command is explicit: “You shall name Him Jesus” (Mt 1:21). In the biblical world, imposing a name is not a merely formal act, but the assumption of a permanent responsibility. Through this gesture, Joseph becomes the guarantor of the Son’s identity and historical placement.

Without him, the Incarnation would remain a suspended event, lacking juridical rootedness. Instead, through his faith and his justice, the Word enters not only into the flesh, but into the Law, into genealogy, into the concrete history of a people. This is what makes Christmas a truly incarnate event, not a mere succession of edifying images, with angels singing, an ox and a donkey reduced to scenic heating devices, and shepherds hastening joyfully to the scene.

All this renders it theologically well-founded to affirm that Joseph — long placed in prudent, and perhaps even unjust, obscurity — is the figure through whom the mystery of Christmas assumes historical and juridical consistency. It is through him that the incarnate Word of God enters the Law, not to be subjected to it, but to bring it to fulfilment. It is no coincidence that more than thirty years later, during His public ministry, Jesus declares with absolute clarity:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them” (Mt 5:17).

When He will then proclaim that this fulfilment is Himself, and that — as the Apostle Paul will say — in Him the plan “to sum up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph 1:10) is realised, the shadow of the Cross will already begin to appear, as they attempt to stone Him: “Because you, being a man, make yourself God” (Jn 10:33). The shadow of the Cross will become even more defined in the gesture of the High Priest who tears his garments upon hearing Him proclaim Himself the Son of God (cf. Mt 26:65), a vivid depiction of the fact that the fulfilment of the Law now passes through rejection and sacrifice.

The Word of God becomes incarnate through Mary’s yes, but this yes is historically guarded and protected by Joseph, the one who protected and guarded, together with his spouse, the only-begotten Son of God. Not in a symbolic or devotional sense, but in the concrete and real sense of history: by protecting Mary, he protected the Son; by protecting the Son, he safeguarded the very mystery of Christmas:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14).

And all this without it ever having crossed the mind of any dream-driven theologian, pietist or fideist — those, to be clear, who stamp their feet for a “Mary co-redeemer” — to claim for the Most Blessed Patriarch Joseph as well the title of co-redeemer, equally due and deserved, if one truly wished to play the game of fantasy-dogmatics to the end, after having completely lost the daily compass, both the ancient and the new.

From the Island of Patmos, 24 December 2025

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JOSEPH'S CHRISTMAS, JUST MAN. AND WHY NOT “CO-REDEEMER”?

From here we have to start again: of the mystery of the Word that became flesh, animated by that spark that led first Saint Augustine and then Saint Anselm of Aosta to say, with different words but with the same substance: «I believe to understand, "I understand to believe". Only then will we truly understand the meaning of the decisive phrase: "And the Word became flesh", and, therefore, why Jesus, actually, was never born.

- Ecclesial news -

Author
Ariel S. Levi di Gualdo.

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On the Christmas stage the scene is crowded. There is Maria, whom Christian piety places in the center next to the Child; there are the angels who sing and the shepherds who come quickly. Some scriptwriter has even decided to introduce two rudimentary ecological heating systems into the set — an ox and a donkey —, represented by iconography as creatures more faithful than men, which maybe they really were. Evidently, It is a script - to use an expression taken from classical theatrical language - very loosely inspired by the canonical Gospels., in which, however, there is no trace of these animal presences; at most they can be found in some apocryphal gospels, starting with that of Pseudo-Matthew.

Thus, the different scriptwriters and costume designers have brought to the foreground on the stage of the Birthday absolutely everything, except the one without whom, historically and concretely, Christmas would never have happened: José.

In popular devotion, José is frequently reduced to a marginal presence, decorative cases. Transformed in pious images into a tired old man, reassuring and harmless, as if its function were not to disturb the mystery, of not having weight, not really counting. but this image, built to safeguard a truth of faith — the virginity of Mary —, has ended up obscuring another, equally fundamental: your real responsibility, concrete and dramatic in the event of the Incarnation.

The Gospel of Matthew presents it with a sober and legally dense qualification:

«José, her husband, that it was fair and I didn't want to report her, "he decided to repudiate her secretly." (Mt 1,19).

There is no insistence on generic moral qualities or internal attitudes. The decisive category is justice. and justice, in the gospel story, It is not an emotional impulse, but an operational criterion that translates into a concrete decision.

Upon learning of María's pregnancy, You are faced with a situation that you do not understand, but that precisely for this reason he cannot avoid and that, on the contrary, must face with lucid wisdom. The Law would have offered a clear solution, publicly recognized and socially honorable: the repudiation. It was a possibility foreseen by the legal system of the time and would not have entailed any formal guilt. (cf. Dt 24,1-4). However, José does not accept it, because his justice is not exhausted in the literal observance of the norm, but it is measured in the protection of the person.

The decision to secretly fire María It is not a sentimental gesture nor a solution of convenience. It is a deliberate act that involves a precise personal cost: exposure to suspicion and loss of reputation. José accepts this risk because his justice is not oriented towards what is usually called the defense of personal honor., but to safeguard the life and dignity of women. In this sense, does not doubt Maria. The evangelical text does not reveal any moral suspicion regarding the young wife (cf. Mt 1,18-19). The problem is not trust, but the understanding of an event that goes beyond the available categories. This places Joseph in a condition of real confusion, fully human, which, however, does not translate into any doubt regarding Mary.

It is of fundamental importance note that this decision precedes the dream, in which the angel of the Lord reveals to Joseph the divine origin of Mary's motherhood and invites him to take her in as his wife, entrusting him with the task of imposing the name on the Child (cf. Mt 1,20-21). The angel's intervention does not guide Joseph's decision, but rather assumes and confirms it. Revelation does not replace human judgment nor nullify it: is grafted into it. God speaks to Joseph not to remove him from risk, but because the risk has already been accepted in the name of justice: when your freedom is called to choose, does not take advantage of the Mosaic Law to which it could have been legitimately appealed, but decides to act with love and trust towards Mary, even without fully understanding the event that involves it. Only after this decision is the mystery clarified and named:

«José, son of david, do not be afraid to receive Mary, your wife" (Mt 1,20).

By welcoming Mary as his wife, José does not perform a private act: assumes public and legal responsibility, recognizing as her own the son that Mary carries in her womb. It is this gesture — and not an internal feeling — that introduces Jesus into the concrete history of Israel.. Through Joseph, the Son legally enters the descendants of David, as attested by the Mattean genealogy that immediately precedes the story of childhood.

José's paternity is not biological; precisely for this reason it is neither symbolic nor secondary, but real in the strictest sense of the term. It is a legal paternity, historical and social. It is José who gives the name to the Child, and it is precisely by imposing the name that he exercises his parental authority. The angel's command is explicit: "You will name him Jesus" (Mt 1,21). In the biblical world, imposing the name is not a merely formal act, but the assumption of a permanent responsibility. With this gesture, Joseph becomes guarantor of the identity and historical location of the Son.

without him, the incarnation it would remain as a suspended event, lacking legal roots. Instead, for his faith and for his justice, the Word enters not only into the flesh, but also in the Law, in genealogy, in the concrete history of a town. This is what makes Christmas a truly incarnate event., and not a simple succession of edifying images, with angels that sing, an ox and a donkey reduced to stage heaters and shepherds who come jubilantly.

All this allows us to affirm with theological foundation that Joseph, the man for a long time placed in a prudent — and perhaps also unjust — gloom, It is the figure through which the mystery of Christmas acquires historical and legal consistency.. It is through him that the incarnate Word of God enters the Law, not to submit to it, but to fulfill it. It is no coincidence that, more than thirty years later, during his preaching, Jesus affirms with words of absolute clarity:

«Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish, but to comply" (Mt 5,17).

When will he then announce that this fulfillment is Himself and that - as the Apostle Paul will say - in Him the plan "to recapitulate in Christ all things" is carried out., those of heaven and those of earth" (Ef 1,10), the shadow of the cross will begin to be seen, while they will try to stone him: "Because you, being a man, you become God" (Jn 10,33). The shadow of the cross will appear even more defined in the gesture of the High Priest who tears his clothes upon hearing him proclaim himself the Son of God. (cf. Mt 26,65), plastic representation of the fact that compliance with the Law already involves rejection and sacrifice.

The Word of God is incarnated through Yeah of Mary, but this Yeah It is historically guarded and protected by José, the one who protected and guarded, with his wife, to the only begotten Son of God. Not in a symbolic or devotional sense, but in the concrete and real sense of history: protecting Maria, protected the son; protecting the son, guarded the very mystery of Christmas:

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1,14).

And all this without any dream theologian, to no pietist nor to any fideist—the same, to understand each other, who tap their feet demanding a “co-redemptrix Mary” – has it ever occurred to them to also claim the title of co-redeemer for the Most Blessed Patriarch Joseph?, equally due and deserved, If you really wanted to play fanta-dogmatics to the end, after having completely lost the daily compass, the old and the new.

From the Island of Patmos, 24 December 2025

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The incarnation of Jesus as a warning to divine aesthetics and harmony between body and soul – The incarnation of Jesus as a warning against a distorted divine aesthetic and as the harmony between body and soul – The incarnation of Jesus as a warning against a distorted divine aesthetic and as harmony between body and soul

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THE INCARNATION OF JESUS ​​AS A WARNING TO DIVINE AESTHETICS AND HARMONY BETWEEN BODY AND SOUL

It is precisely the Holy Pontiff Leo the Great who, on the occasion of a homily on Christmas Day, calls Christians to recognize their own dignity which without fear of contradiction also passes through that corporeality and physicality which is a visible manifestation of the beauty of the incarnate Son and which we must defend and cherish within ourselves.

- Church news -

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Author
Ivano Liguori, Ofm. Cap.

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PDF print format article – PDF article print format – PDF article in printed format

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When I was studying at the university of Cagliari, in the first years of the Pharmacy degree course, the anatomy exam was one of the most difficult to take together with those of general and inorganic chemistry and then organic chemistry.

On a leaden afternoon in room F of the university complex of the citadel of Monserrato, I remember the Anatomy teacher was about to present the central nervous system. Even though we weren't medical students, anatomy was a particularly well done and in-depth discipline, also because the same teacher often made specific references to Histology and Cytology (in short everything that concerns the study of animal and plant tissues and cells) which we had to know as the Hail Mary and that any inaccuracy would have aroused the teacher's wrath, far more fearsome than Achilles' wrath in the Iliad.

In explaining the central nervous system learned from the teacher about the existence of the Motor and Sensory Homunculus, which is nothing more than a visual map of how the different parts of the body are represented at the cortical level. The areas are so much larger, of larger size, the greater their importance for the purposes of sensory or motor perception. The graphic representation is therefore that of a man, but of a shapeless and unharmonious man. This type of disharmony is necessary and functional as long as we refer to our nervous system, indeed we can say that it is precisely thanks to it that we are able to do most of the things we do in daily life.

But what would happen if man were really like this in reality, anatomically speaking? This would be quite problematic, however, it is precisely in proximity to the solemnity of Christmas that we realize how man was created by God not as a homunculus but as a harmonious whole and it is precisely the incarnation of the Word that constitutes proof of that harmony of body and spirit that the Christian, as a believing man, can't afford to leave it out, it's worth becoming a little man, that is, a caricature.

Our director Father Ariel has recently published a very interesting article with a provocative title: As Christmas approaches, it's fair to say: Jesus was never born in which he states that:

«the Son does not begin to be in Bethlehem. He is “before all ages”, Why “I from God, Light from Light, True God from true God”. Christmas is not the birth of God, but the Incarnation of the eternal Son “generated, not created, of the same substance as the Father”» (cf.. Who).

What does this mean? We will have the opportunity to understand this better during the Holy Mass on Christmas Day, in which the Blessed apostle and evangelist John will teach us with his wonderful Prologue, but to make a long story short we can summarize by saying that Christmas is the salvific act of the Father in which the Son, by the work of the Holy Spirit, it truly takes mortal form in the womb of a Virgin Mother and takes on our humanity, coming to light as a true man. The Word of God, he through whom the Father did all things, takes on a body and a soul. This truth echoes in the Psalms in which the reading of Christological faith makes us say that "He is the most beautiful among the sons of man" (cf. Shall 44), and this beauty is not only spiritual but also physical in nature, touches that body that He assumed and which truly transmits the order and harmony of God. Jesus Christ as a true man is the model of that divine aesthetic which is at the same time creative and ordering harmony, we must draw inspiration from him to grow as men and as believers. Only in the tragic mystery of the Passion do we realize how the beauty of the Redeemer's body will be disfigured due to his taking upon himself the sin of men, a sin which not only constitutes a disorder on the spiritual level of relationship with God but which is also an attack on that physical beauty which makes the Lord disfigured and rejected, man of sorrows before whom one covers one's face to make the vision of such a heartbreaking punishment more bearable which will culminate in the crucifixion on Golgotha.

Why this reflection? Because I consider it more necessary than ever to make known how the mystery of Christmas is not only an event for emotional hearts that touches the spirit but also and essentially human corporeality. We often witness it, also in the people of God, to a disharmonious way of understanding the body, in a way much more similar to ancient philosophies where the body was seen as a prison of the immortal soul. But it is truly true that the more one neglects the body compared to the soul, the more pleasing one is to God? The heresy is evident and leads to an altered way of understanding the faith, combined with a certain unhealthy spirituality that predisposes to forging non-men, nor even Christians, ma omuncoli.

It is precisely the Holy Pontiff Leo the Great who on the occasion of a homily on Christmas Day calls Christians to recognize their own dignity which without fear of contradiction also includes that corporeality and physicality which is a visible manifestation of the beauty of the incarnate Son and which we must defend and cherish within ourselves.

A Christian balanced in faith, so, he cannot think of caring for the soul alone if he then neglects or lets waste that body that God gave him and which the Savior assumed and glorified with the resurrection. For the beautiful souls who will be scandalized by such a speech I remember the Seraphic Father Saint Francis, second to none for the mortification and austerity of life, «he studied to hold the body with respect and sanctity, through the complete purity of his entire self, flesh and spirit" (Franciscan sources, 1349)» and who at the end of his life had recognized how he had been a little too severe with «brother body» burdened by too many penances and infirmities. This reflection could be the beginning of a path of greater reconciliation and self-acceptance that passes through the necessary respect and care of one's body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit but also a real instrument for giving glory to God in immanence.. Let us remember - between the pleasant and the provocative - that after the election as Supreme Pontiff of the Cardinal Provost, the news became known that the new Pope frequented the Omega Fitness Club gym in Rome as a cardinal, where he trained incognito with cardio and machines, demonstrating excellent physical shape and maintaining balance between mind and body, which surprised his personal trainer, who recognized him only after his election to the papacy.

Some practical considerations, before concluding: ppreparing well for Christmas allows us to follow the advice of John the Baptist and be well prepared to meet Jesus, to implement real and concrete gestures of justice to lower the necks of personal pride in which to seek the roots of those sins that we commit every day. A good and meticulous confession is the starting point for celebrating the birth of the Redeemer well, then united with the real encounter with Christ in the Holy Mass and the Eucharist. Unfortunately, still many Christians do not participate in the Eucharist on Christmas Day because they are busy with a thousand other problems and forgetful of the One who is celebrating in order to give greater prominence to everything that is secondary, and then come on Boxing Day and attend Mass with this excuse: «I couldn't come yesterday but I'll come today, it's all the same».

The whole Christmas period it is a celebration of light in which I have the opportunity to immerse myself in Jesus, light in the darkness, and this enlightenment of life can only happen with prayer. Finding moments, moments, moments to remain before the Lord Jesus in intimate prayer and let his light illuminate my darkness and guide me to the encounter with Him as it was for the Holy Magi.

But this preparation is only spiritual it is not enough if we leave out the body, if the holiday doesn't allow me to take care of my body and the body of those I love, knowing that that is also a theological place in which to find Christ. Taking care of your physical appearance on religious holidays is not at all narcissism or vanity. Just like churches are decorated, the altars and houses for the solemnities of the Lord, even my appearance and body deserve to be worthily prepared to meet the Lord, reflection of that beauty that the liturgy also sings in the living people of the baptized.

And so we arrive at the canteen, at lunches and dinners, opportune moments to ensure that you are not used by food but the opposite of use food as an instrument of praise, of fraternal union and not of alienation. Food that can also be used to help the body and restore the soul of those who find themselves in poverty and marginalization and who often wait, like poor Lazarus, a few crumbs that fell from the tables of the many rich Epuloni of our times, of which the first is me.

But it's not just about food, Even the Christmas season can be an opportunity to experience wholesome and healthy activities together with the family or in solitude that reinvigorate the body and allow us to remain efficient for the Kingdom of God. The thought goes to us priests that the sedentary lifestyle and disorder of the holidays often risk making us gain several extra kilos, when instead our choice of vocational life should demonstrate a healthy and dynamic corporeity because it is combined with a healthy and dynamic spirituality. Throughout the history of the Church, the lifestyle of consecrated people - I am thinking of the many monastic and mendicant orders but not only - has always unfolded between the refectory and physical activity with extreme balance and wisdom, avoiding the risk of immoderate opulence and idleness. Some modern Congregations have included physical or sporting activity in their daily lifestyle which is a beautiful metaphor of Christian asceticism and strengthens the spirit in the fight against sin because it teaches that results are obtained with the sweat of constant sacrifice.

So may it be a merry Christmas for everyone: a merry Christmas for our soul renewed from the mortal torpor of sin and may it also be a merry Christmas for our body made strong by physical exercise and works of charity as true and authentic workers in the Lord's vineyard. Juvenal wrote «We must pray for a sound mind in a sound body» (Sat. X, 356), "we must ask the gods that the mind be healthy in the body healthy", may the Lord grant us this gift so that we too shine, like Him, of the beauty of the most beautiful among the sons of men.

Sanluri, 24 December 2025

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THE INCARNATION OF JESUS AS A WARNING AGAINST A DISTORTED DIVINE AESTHETIC AND AS THE HARMONY BETWEEN BODY AND SOUL

It is precisely Saint Leo the Great who, in a homily for Christmas Day, exhorts Christians to recognise their own dignity — a dignity that unquestionably passes also through corporeality and physicality, which are the visible manifestation of the beauty of the incarnate Son and which we must defend and safeguard within ourselves.

— Ecclesial actuality —

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Author
Ivano Liguori, Ofm. Cap.

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When I was studying at the University of Cagliari, during the first years of the degree course in Pharmacy, the exam in Anatomy was among the most difficult to face, together with General and Inorganic Chemistry and later Organic Chemistry.

On a gloomy afternoon in Lecture Hall F of the university complex in the Monserrato campus, I recall the Anatomy professor preparing to introduce the central nervous system. Although we were not medical students, anatomy was taught in a particularly thorough and rigorous way, also because the same lecturer frequently made precise references to Histology and Cytology (in short, everything concerning the study of animal and plant tissues and cells), subjects we were expected to know as well as the Hail Mary. Any inaccuracy would have provoked the professor’s wrath, far more fearsome than Achilles’ anger in the Iliad.

While explaining the central nervous system, I learned from the lecturer about the existence of the Motor and Sensory Homunculus, which is nothing other than a visual map of how different parts of the body are represented at the cortical level. The areas are larger in proportion to their importance for sensory perception or motor function. The graphic representation is therefore that of a human being — but a distorted and disharmonious one. This type of disharmony is necessary and functional as long as we are referring to the nervous system; indeed, it is precisely thanks to this arrangement that we are able to perform most of the actions of daily life.

But what would happen if man were truly like this in reality, anatomically speaking? The situation would be highly problematic. And yet it is precisely as the solemnity of Christmas approaches that we realise how man has been created by God not as a homunculus, but as a harmonious whole. It is precisely the Incarnation of the Word that constitutes the proof of that harmony between body and spirit which the Christian, as a believing man, cannot afford to neglect — on pain of becoming a homunculus, that is, a caricature.

Our Director, Father Ariel, has recently published a most interesting article with the provocative title At the Threshold of Christmas It Must Be Said: Jesus Was Never Born (cf. Here), in which he affirms:

“The Son does not begin to exist in Bethlehem. He is ‘before all ages’, because He is ‘God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God’. Christmas is not the birth of God, but the Incarnation of the eternal Son, ‘begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father’.”

What does this mean? We shall understand it more fully during the Holy Mass on Christmas Day, when the Blessed Apostle and Evangelist John will instruct us through his marvellous Prologue. But briefly, we may say that Christmas is the salvific act of the Father in which the Son, by the work of the Holy Spirit, truly takes mortal form in the womb of a Virgin Mother and clothes Himself in our humanity, coming into the world as true man.

The Word of God, through whom the Father made all things, assumes a body and a soul. This truth resounds in the Psalms, where a Christological reading of faith leads us to proclaim: “You are the most handsome of the sons of men” (cf. Ps 44). This beauty is not merely spiritual but also physical; it touches the body He has assumed, which truly transmits the order and harmony of God. Jesus Christ, as true man, is the model of that divine aesthetic which is at once creative and ordering harmony. He is the one to whom we must look in order to grow as human beings and as believers.

Only in the tragic mystery of the Passion do we grasp how the beauty of the Redeemer’s body will be disfigured by His taking upon Himself the sin of mankind — a sin that is not merely a disorder on the spiritual plane of relationship with God, but also an assault upon that physical beauty which renders the Lord disfigured and rejected, a man of sorrows before whom one covers one’s face to make the sight of such suffering bearable, suffering that will culminate in the crucifixion on Golgotha.

Why this reflection? Because I consider it more necessary than ever to show that the mystery of Christmas is not merely an event for emotional hearts that touches the spirit alone, but one that also — and essentially — concerns human corporeality. Not infrequently, even among the people of God, we encounter a disharmonious way of understanding the body, one that closely resembles ancient philosophies in which the body was seen as a prison for the immortal soul.

But is it really true that the more one neglects the body in favour of the soul, the more pleasing one is to God? The heresy is evident and leads to a distorted way of understanding the faith, united to an unhealthy spirituality that predisposes one to form neither men nor Christians, but homunculi.

It is precisely Saint Leo the Great who, in a homily for Christmas Day, exhorts Christians to recognise their own dignity — a dignity that unquestionably passes also through corporeality and physicality, which are the visible manifestation of the beauty of the incarnate Son and which we must defend and safeguard within ourselves.

A Christian who is balanced in faith, therefore, cannot think of caring for the soul alone while neglecting or allowing to deteriorate the body that God has given him and that the Saviour has assumed and glorified through the Resurrection.

For those “beautiful souls” who may be scandalised by such discourse, I recall how even the Seraphic Father Saint Francis, second to none in mortification and austerity of life, “strove to treat the body with respect and holiness, through the most perfect purity of his whole self, flesh and spirit” (Franciscan Sources, 1349), and how at the end of his life he acknowledged that he had perhaps been too severe with “Brother Body”, burdened by excessive penances and infirmities.

This reflection could mark the beginning of a path of greater reconciliation with and acceptance of oneself, passing through the necessary respect for and care of one’s own body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit but also a real instrument for giving glory to God in immanence.

Let us recall — somewhere between the amusing and the provocative — that after the election of Cardinal Prevost as Supreme Pontiff, it became known that the new Pope, while still a cardinal, frequented the Omega Fitness Club in Rome, where he trained incognito using cardio equipment and machines, demonstrating excellent physical condition and caring for the balance between mind and body. This surprised even his personal trainer, who recognised him only after his election to the papacy.

Some practical considerations, before concluding. Preparing well for Christmas allows us to follow the counsel of John the Baptist and to be well disposed to the encounter with Jesus, putting into practice real and concrete acts of justice in order to lower the hills of personal pride and to seek out the roots of those sins we commit daily. A good and meticulous confession is the starting point for celebrating the birth of the Redeemer well, together with the real encounter with Christ in the Holy Mass and in the Eucharist.

Unfortunately, many Christians still do not participate in the Eucharist on Christmas Day because they are caught up in a thousand other commitments, forgetting the One who is being celebrated, in order to give greater prominence to what is secondary — only to attend Mass on the following day with the excuse: “I couldn’t come yesterday, but I’ll come today, it’s the same thing anyway.”

The entire Christmas season is a feast of light, in which I have the opportunity to immerse myself in Jesus, light in the darkness. Such illumination of life can only take place through prayer: finding moments, instants, occasions to remain before the Lord Jesus in intimate prayer and allowing His light to illuminate my darkness and guide me toward the encounter with Him, as it was for the Holy Magi.

Yet this purely spiritual preparation is not sufficient if we neglect the body — if the feast day does not allow me to care for my body and for the bodies of those I love, knowing that this too is a theological place in which Christ may be encountered. Caring for one’s physical appearance on religious feast days is by no means narcissism or vanity. Just as churches, altars and homes are adorned for the solemnities of the Lord, so too my body and appearance deserve to be prepared worthily to meet the Lord, as a reflection of that beauty which the liturgy itself sings in the living people of the baptised.

Sanluri, 24 December 2025

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______________________________

THE INCARNATION OF JESUS ​​AS A WARNING AGAINST A DISTORTED DIVINE AESTHETIC AND AS HARMONY BETWEEN BODY AND SOUL

It is precisely the holy pontiff Leo the Great who, in a Christmas Day homily, urges Christians to recognize their own dignity, that without fear of mistake also passes through that corporeality and physicality that are a visible manifestation of the beauty of the incarnate Son and that we must defend and guard in ourselves.

- Ecclesial news -

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Author
Ivano Liguori, Ofm. Cap.

.

When I was studying at the University of Cagliari, during the first years of the degree in Pharmacy, The Anatomy exam was one of the most difficult to take, along with those of General and Inorganic Chemistry and, later, Organic Chemistry.

On a leaden afternoon, in classroom F of the university complex of the citadel of Monserrato, I remember that the Anatomy teacher was preparing to present the central nervous system. Although we were not medical students, Anatomy was a particularly well-structured and deep subject, also because the same teacher made frequent and precise references to Histology and Cytology (in summary, everything that concerns the study of animal and plant tissues and cells), subjects that we should know like the Ave Maria and in which any inaccuracy would have raised the teacher's wrath, much more fearsome than the wrath of Achilles in the Iliad.

Explaining the central nervous system, I learned from the teacher the existence of the Motor and Sensory Homunculus, which is nothing more than a visual map of how the different parts of the body are represented at the cortical level. The areas are larger the greater their importance for sensory perception or motor function.. The graphical representation is, therefore, that of a man, but from a deformed and non-harmonious man. This type of disharmony is necessary and functional when we refer to the nervous system.; it's more, We can say that precisely thanks to it we are able to carry out most of the actions we carry out in daily life..

But what would happen if man were really like that in reality, from an anatomical point of view? The situation would be quite problematic. However, It is precisely as we approach the solemnity of Christmas that we realize that man has been created by God, not as a homunculus., but as a harmonious whole, and it is precisely the Incarnation of the Word that constitutes the proof of that harmony between body and spirit that the Christian, as a believing man, can't afford to neglect, under penalty of becoming a homunculus, that is to say, in a cartoon.

Our Director, Father Ariel, has recently published a very interesting article with the provocative title At the gates of Christmas it is fair to say: Jesus was never born, in which he states:

«The Son does not begin to exist in Bethlehem. He is “before all ages”, because he is “God of God”, Light of Light, “True God of true God”. Christmas is not the birth of God, but the Incarnation of the eternal Son, “begotten, not created, of the same nature of the Father” (cf. Here).

What does this mean? We will have the opportunity to understand it better during the Holy Mass on Christmas Day, when the Blessed Apostle and Evangelist John will instruct us with his admirable Prologue. But, in summary, We can say that Christmas is the saving act of the Father in which the Son, by the work of the Holy Spirit, It truly takes mortal form in the womb of a Virgin Mother and is clothed in our humanity., coming to the light as a true man.

The Word of God, through whom the Father made all things, assumes a body and a soul. This truth resonates in the Psalms, where a reading of Christological faith leads us to proclaim: "You are the most beautiful of the sons of men" (cf. Shall 44). And this beauty is not only spiritual in nature, but also physical; touches the body that He has assumed and that truly transmits the order and harmony of God. Christ, like a real man, It is the model of that divine aesthetic that is at the same time creative and ordering harmony.; We must be inspired by Him to grow as men and as believers..

Alone in the tragic mystery of the Passion we realize how the beauty of the Redeemer's body will be disfigured because of having taken upon himself the sin of men, sin that does not only constitute a disorder on the spiritual level of the relationship with God, but it is also an attack against that physical beauty that makes the Lord a disfigured and rejected being., man of pain before whom he covers his face to make the sight of such heartbreaking suffering more bearable, which will culminate in the crucifixion on Golgotha.

Why this reflection? Because I consider it more than necessary to make known that the mystery of Christmas is not only an event for emotional hearts that touches the spirit., but it also concerns — and essentially — human corporeality. Not infrequently we attend, even in God's people, to a disharmonious way of understanding the body, very similar to ancient philosophies in which the body was seen as a prison for the immortal soul.

But is it really true that the more the body is neglected in favor of the soul, the more God is pleased? The heresy is evident and leads to an altered way of understanding faith, united with an unhealthy spirituality that predisposes us to forge non-men, much less Christians, but homunculi.

It is precisely the holy pontiff Leo the Great who, in a Christmas Day homily, urges Christians to recognize their own dignity, that without fear of mistake also passes through that corporeality and physicality that are a visible manifestation of the beauty of the incarnate Son and that we must defend and guard in ourselves.

A Christian balanced in faith, therefore, He cannot think of caring only for the soul if he then neglects or allows the body that God has given him and that the Savior has assumed and glorified with the Resurrection to deteriorate..

For the “beautiful souls” Let them be scandalized by a speech of this type, I remember how even the Seraphic Father Saint Francis, unsurpassed in mortification and austerity of life, "He tried to treat the body with respect and sanctity, through the purest integrity of his entire being, flesh and spirit (Franciscan Sources, 1349), and how at the end of his life he recognized that he had perhaps been too harsh with his “brother body.”, loaded with excessive penances and illnesses.

This reflection It could be the beginning of a path of greater reconciliation and self-acceptance, which involves the necessary respect and care of one's own body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit, but also a real instrument to give glory to God in immanence.

Let's remember — between the nice and the provocative — that after the election of Cardinal Prevost as Supreme Pontiff, The news broke that the new Pope, when he was still a cardinal, He frequented the Omega Fitness Club gym in Rome, where he trained incognito with cardiovascular exercises and machines, demonstrating excellent physical fitness and taking care of the balance between mind and body, something that surprised even his personal trainer, who recognized it only after the election to the pontificate.

Some practical considerations, before completing. Preparing well for Christmas allows us to follow the advice of John the Baptist and prepare ourselves adequately for the encounter with Jesus., putting into practice real and concrete gestures of justice to bring down the mountains of personal pride and search for the roots of those sins that we commit daily. A good and meticulous confession is the starting point to celebrate the birth of the Redeemer with dignity., later united to the real encounter with Christ in the Holy Mass and in the Eucharist.

Unfortunately, Many Christians still do not participate in the Eucharist on Christmas Day because they are busy with a thousand other tasks and forget the One who is truly celebrated., giving greater prominence to everything that is secondary, and then go to Mass on St. Stephen's Day with this excuse: «I couldn't come yesterday, but I come today, total is the same".

All Christmas time is a festival of light, in which I have the opportunity to immerse myself in Jesus, light in the darkness. And this clarification of life cannot occur except through prayer.: find moments, moments, spaces to remain before the Lord Jesus in intimate prayer and let his light illuminate my darkness and guide me to meet Him, as happened with the Holy Magi.

But this preparation is only spiritual It is not enough if we neglect the body, If the holiday doesn't allow me to take care of my body and the body of those I love, knowing that this is also a theological place in which to find Christ. Taking care of one's physical appearance on religious holidays is not narcissism or vanity at all.. Just as churches are decorated, the altars and the houses for the solemnities of the Lord, My appearance and my body also deserve to be prepared with dignity for the encounter with the Lord., reflection of that beauty that the liturgy itself sings in the living people of the baptized.

Sanluri, 24 December 2025

 

 

 

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