Ephesians Day 14 // Mawwaige
Ephesians 5:21-33 Isaiah 62:1-5 John 2:1-12
Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us together today.
It’s amazing to me how many people misunderstand today’s passage. Feminists get up in arms about wives being asked to be subject to their husbands, but they forget the rest of the passage, which asks husbands to love their wives as much as they love themselves; as much as Christ loved the Church. Keep in mind that Christ was willing to die for us, to lay down his life as a sacrifice for us.
Now granted, I am not married. I know that marriage is hard work and that there is often conflict involved. But just as the members of the body of Christ are supposed to cooperate and work together to fulfill God’s will, so must a husband and wife work together in order to answer their mutual call to holiness.
All three of today’s passages tie together because they all show what marriage really is: it’s a sacrament that involves more than just the bride and groom. It also involves God. As Fulton Sheen is known for saying, it takes three to get married.
According to Christopher West’s Theology of the Body for Beginners,
“God created us male and female so that we could image his love by becoming a sincere gift to each other. This sincere giving establishes a ‘communion of persons’ not only between the sexes but also--in the normal course of events--with a ‘third’ who proceeds from them both. In this way, sexual love becomes an icon or earthly image in some sense of the inner life of the Trinity.”
It goes on further to say that married life isn’t just a reflection of the Trinity, but also Christ’s marriage to His bride, the Church. It puts a whole new layer of meaning to the miracle at the Wedding at Cana. Take a listen to this homily from Bishop Robert Barron that links the passage from Isaiah to the Gospel from John. I love that it gives emphasis to the fact that our relationship with Christ is always personal. Whether we are single or married, we are all brides of Christ.
So how exactly can we apply today’s passage to our lives? Follow the words of Mary: “Do whatever He tells you.” Whether we are single, married, or in religious life, we need to submit ourselves to Jesus, our Heavenly Spouse. And for any guys that are reading this, the same goes for you. We all need to surrender ourselves to Him and follow His will for us.
By following Jesus’s instructions, the wedding party at Cana suddenly found themselves enjoying new wine. As the steward said “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” If Jesus can change water into the best tasting wine ever, imagine what He can do with you!
Study Questions:
What are your perspectives on marriage and relationships?
How do you think we can be a Bride of Christ in our ordinary lives?