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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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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

.

______________________________

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 -

.

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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