The Catholic Church teaches that the Son is the eternal Word and perfect Image of the Father, equal to Him in divinity and never created. The language of divine self-knowledge can help explain this eternal generation, but only when it is carefully distinguished from creation, change, and temporal becoming.
The eternal Son of God entered human history and became truly man without ceasing to be God. He came to reveal the Father, heal fallen humanity, and conquer sin and death. By assuming our nature, Christ restored mankind and opened the way for us to share in the divine life.
The Son of God did not begin at Bethlehem, nor was He created before the universe. He is eternally begotten of the Father, equal to Him in divinity, and the eternal Word through whom all things were made.