Flipping the script: The Incarnation from Jesus’ point of view

By Leslie Bertucci, NOLA Catholic Parenting

Ever since I first discovered the tiny life growing inside my womb in the summer of 1986, I have felt a special connection with Our Lady.

With each of my five subsequent pregnancies, that connection has grown stronger, as has my admiration of the teenage virgin Mother who risked everything to bear the Savior.

For this reason the feast of the Annunciation, and the miracle of the Incarnation, have always resonated deeply with me. In the days leading up to March 25, I usually take time to think about what might have been going through Mary’s mind when the angel made his famous announcement.

But, recently the Holy Spirit has shifted my gaze in a different direction: I have been trying to imagine the Incarnation from Jesus’ point of view.

Imagine it: Jesus, eternal God, willingly leaving the joys of heaven to take on human flesh, suddenly enclosed in the womb of his mother. Was he self-aware? Did he retain his perfect wisdom and understanding, all his memories? What was that like for you, Lord?

Was it frightening at first? Was it stifling, claustrophobic?

But, then, did it become soothing, as you became aware of your mother’s breathing, of the rhythmic motions of her everyday activities, the steady beat of  her heart?

Oh, how you must have grown to love that sound!

You had to trust her to keep you safe, not to stumble or jar you while you lay in her womb. You also had to be patient to wait nine months to emerge from that warm, dark enclosure. Surely you had seen your mother’s face a million times, and looked on her with love as she went about her daily activities from the beginning of her life. But now, you had to wait almost a year before you could set eyes on her again.

What was it like, Lord, to depend entirely on Mary for your human survival? Did she sing to you in the womb? Did she read to you? Did she recite from the Torah the prophecies that you would someday fulfill? How you must have looked forward to hearing her sweet voice!

I am suddenly reminded of the question Nicodemus would ask you three decades later, about being born again: “Can a man go back into his mother’s womb?” Did his question spark pleasant memories for you? In that flash of an instant, did you imagine yourself back there, listening to your young mother singing sweetly, feeling the soothing beat of her heart?

As we continue through this Lenten season, remind us, Lord, that you not only became human like us; you became an infant in the womb like us: helpless, totally dependent on your mother. Give us that childlike trust and humility, Lord. Help us to appreciate our own mothers and the sacrifices they make for us. May our hearts overflow with gratitude for the gift of yourself and your Mother.

Leslie Bertucci is a native New Orleanian who attended St. Mary’s Dominican High School and Loyola University New Orleans. She has been married to Johnny Bertucci since 1985. They have five children, ages 31 to 14, and two grandchildren. Leslie homeschooled her oldest four children through 12th grade; her youngest son is a freshman at Archbishop Hannan High School. Since 1982, God has led Leslie into the ministries of catechist, youth minister, retreat leader, homeschool teacher, conference speaker, choir director and worship leader. The Bertuccis founded the Sanctifire Youth Group at their home parish of St. Anselm in Madisonville. She currently leads the NoLoudRocks Worship Band that includes two of her sons. The Bertuccis often minister as a family at prayer meetings, retreats and conferences. Leslie lives by the motto: “Just show up, just say yes. God will take care of the rest.”

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