Padres+

On page 2975 of my CD-ROM Summa Theologica by Saint
Thomas Aquinas, I found the following paragraphs.

Thomas A, answers an objection to the Incarnation and
gives an answer that reveals the source of faith, hope
and love are to be found in God's entry into this
world.

Charles+

Objection 3: Further, to revere God pertains
especially to man's salvation; hence it is written
(Mal. 1:6): "If, then, I be a father, where is my
honor? and if I be a master, where is my fear?" But
men revere God the more by considering Him as elevated
above all, and far beyond man's senses,
hence (Ps. 112:4) it is written: "The Lord is high
above all nations, and His glory above the heavens"; 
and farther on: "Who is as the Lord our God?" which
pertains to reverence. Therefore it would seem
unfitting to man's salvation that God should be made
like unto us by assuming flesh.


On the contrary, What frees the human race from
perdition is necessary for the salvation of
man. But the mystery of the Incarnation is such;
according to Jn. 3:16: "God so loved the world as
to give His only-begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life
everlasting." Therefore it was necessary for man's
salvation that God should become incarnate.
I answer that, A thing is said to be necessary for a
certain end in two ways. First, when the
end cannot be without it; as food is necessary for the
preservation of human life. Secondly, when
the end is attained better and more conveniently, as a
horse is necessary for a journey. In the first
way it was not necessary that God should become
incarnate for the restoration of human nature.
For God with His omnipotent power could have restored
human nature in many other ways. But
in the second way it was necessary that God should
become incarnate for the restoration of human
nature. Hence Augustine says (De Trin. xii, 10): "We
shall also show that other ways were not
wanting to God, to Whose power all things are equally
subject; but that there was not a more fitting
way of healing our misery."
Now this may be viewed with respect to our
"furtherance in good." First, with regard to faith,
which is made more certain by believing God Himself
Who speaks; hence Augustine says (De Civ.
Dei xi, 2): "In order that man might journey more
trustfully toward the truth, the Truth itself, the
Son of God, having assumed human nature, established
and founded faith." Secondly, with regard
to hope, which is thereby greatly strengthened; hence
Augustine says (De Trin. xiii): "Nothing was
so necessary for raising our hope as to show us how
deeply God loved us. And what could afford
us a stronger proof of this than that the Son of God
should become a partner with us of human
nature?" Thirdly, with regard to charity, which is
greatly enkindled by this; hence Augustine says
(De Catech. Rudib. iv): "What greater cause is there
of the Lord's coming than to show God's love
for us?" And he afterwards adds: "If we have been slow
to love, at least let us hasten to love in
return." Fourthly, with regard to well-doing, in which
He set us an example; hence Augustine says
in a sermon (xxii de Temp.): "Man who might be seen
was not to be followed; but God was to be
followed, Who could not be seen. And therefore God was
made man, that He Who might be seen
by man, and Whom man might follow, might be shown to
man." Fifthly, with regard to the full
participation of the Divinity, which is the true bliss
of man and end of human life; and this is
bestowed upon us by Christ's humanity; for Augustine
says in a sermon (xiii de Temp.): "Go was
made man, that man might be made God."
So also was this useful for our "withdrawal from
evil." First, because man is taught by it not to
prefer the devil to himself, nor to honor him who is
the author of sin; hence Augustine says (De
Trin. xiii, 17): "Since human nature is so united to
God as to become one person, let not these proud
spirits dare to prefer themselves to man, because they
have no bodies." Secondly, because we are
thereby taught how great is man's dignity, lest we
should sully it with sin; hence Augustine says
(De Vera Relig. xvi): "God has proved to us how high a
place human nature holds amongst creatures, inasmuch
as He appeared to men as a true man." And Pope Leo
says in a sermon on the Nativity (xxi): "Learn, O
Christian, thy worth; and being made a partner of the
Divine nature, refuse to return by evil deeds to your
former worthlessness." Thirdly, because, "in order to
do away with
man's presumption, the grace of God is commended in
Jesus Christ, though no merits of ours went
before," as Augustine says (De Trin. xiii, 17).
Fourthly, because "man's pride, which is the greatest
stumbling-block to our clinging to God, can be
convinced and cured by humility so great," as
Augustine says in the same place. Fifthly, in order to
free man from the thraldom of sin, which, as
Augustine says (De Trin. xiii, 13), "ought to be done
in such a way that the devil should be overcome by the
justice of the man Jesus Christ," and this was done by
Christ satisfying for us. Now a mere man could not
have satisfied for the whole human race, and God was
not bound to satisfy; hence it behooved Jesus Christ
to be both God and man. Hence Pope Leo says in the
same sermon:
"Weakness is assumed by strength, lowliness by
majesty, mortality by eternity, in order that one
and the same Mediator of God and men might die in one
and rise in the other---for this was our
fitting remedy. Unless He was God, He would not have
brought a remedy; and unless He was man,
He would not have set an example."
And there are very many other advantages which
accrued, above man's apprehension.