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St. Gregory Nazianzen, a fourth-century theologian and Father of the Church, urges us to empty ourselves, as Jesus did. How else will we have room for the “wealth of goodness” God offers us?
To help me, God sent his own Word, who was from before all ages, unseen and incomprehensible, having no bodily form. He is Beginning from Beginning, Light from Light, fountain of life and immortality; he is God’s unchangeable expression and precise image, the definition and understanding of his Father.
The Word comes to his own image—to humanity—and takes flesh for the sake of flesh. He is joined with an intelligent soul for the sake of my soul, cleansing like by like and becoming human in every way, except for sin. Conceived of the Virgin—whose soul and body were cleansed beforehand by the Spirit—he came forth as God with the addition of human nature. The opposites of flesh and Spirit were made into one, for the Spirit made the flesh divine, and the flesh was divinized by the Spirit.
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