The comparison about marriage in Holy Scripture – which is both beautiful and realistic at once – is that husband and wife reflect Christ and the Church. Yet there is the other reflection, not of Christ and Church but of Holy Family in heaven: that of Father, Son and Spirit. Husband and wife reflect this, with the children of their love reflecting the Spirit, as He springs forth from Father and Son.
This comparison might not be made explicit in the Bible, but it is much more than theological speculation. That is because of the many passages in John – I am almost at John 17 now with my boy and we have read through much of them – which show the relationship between Father and Son passing down to Christ and His Church. The love which flows to the Son, now flows to His people, the Church. The glory which the Son brings to the Father, the Church now brings to the Son. The obedience the Son shows in doing the Father’s will flows to the Church as it obeys His will. The interpenetration of Father and Son now is mold of the interpenetration of Christ and His Bride. Since this is the explicit teaching, we can see how the same order flows down to the marriage union and the family. Father and Son model Christ and the Church, who model the sacrament of marriage. Husband’s love and life flow to the wife, as the Father's does to the Son. The wife submits to the will of her husband, as the Son does the will of the Father. They honor one another each according to their own role, and know joy in their union. Then children spring forth from their love*, continue to do their will, and make their character known. Divine truth is revealed in marriage, truth about salvation, and about the nature of God. *Love here means that they actively love one another. It does not mean they are filled with overwhelming emotion or look into each other’s eyes constantly and nearly swoon. Love means they give the other what is due, and care zealously for the other’s welfare. Warm emotions may come along with the ride.
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AuthorI am Ordinary Brother, Author of Get Married and Save the World. I hope you are enriched by this blog about my book and a little of my life. Archives
January 2020
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