C.S. Lewis' 'The Great Divorce' and Bleeding Charity
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The book of Philippians contains one of the earliest Christian hymns which poetically tells of the great sacrifice of God in Jesus Christ. St. Paul writes,
Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)
Paul beautifully summarizes how the Lord made the ultimate sacrifice in taking upon himself a human nature in Jesus Christ. The Lord proves his love still further in that not only did he take on our humanity, but he suffered and died in the most excruciating and humbling way possible – crucifixion.
St. Paul calls this the self-emptying of God. The Lord pours himself out as he steps into our humanity. How great is the love of God that he comes down to us in Jesus Christ!
As Catholics, we recognize that the self-emptying of God does not end there. The Lord cherishes his people so much that he seeks to draw ever closer. The divine humility shows forth most perfectly in the Eucharist. Not only does our God come to us in our humanity, but he makes himself accessible in the Eucharist.
Our God is not a distant, far-off deity, unconcerned with his people. He is the God who intimately and intensely cares for his people. This powerful and humbling love is most evident in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, the Lord pours himself out most fully for the sake of his children. There is nothing more loving or more humbling than the gift of the Eucharist.
It’s one thing for God to become man. It’s another thing for God to become a thing, to become approachable, touchable, consumable. The Eucharist is the total self-emptying of God.
It is no wonder that the great Archbishop Fulton Sheen remarked about the Eucharist, “The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white host.”
Hunter Leonard is a passionate Catholic with an intense love for learning about and sharing the Faith. He holds an M.A. in Theology from the Augustine Institute and a B.A. in Creative Writing from California State University at Northridge. Hunter's essays, articles, and poems have been featured at Busted Halo, St. Austin Review, Crisis Magazine, and Voyage Comics. He is a staff columnist at Catholic Stand and works at Flocknote to help parishes and dioceses build a more connected Church.
Hunter is also the author of the brand new children's book, When God Speaks, published by OSV Kids. You can find all of Hunter's books and articles at www.sacredvision.org.
