Husbands, Love Your Wives
by Fr. David M. Knight
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Thirtieth Week of the Year
Eph 5:21-33/Lk 13:18-21 (Lectionary 480)
Ephesians 5:21-33: Paul is telling both husbands and wives to “be subordinate to one another” and “become one flesh." But his major focus is on husbands.
For wives he repeats twice the teaching about subordination and adds at the end that a wife should “respect her husband.” That is all. But a husband, in addition to being reciprocally subordinate to his wife, should:
• love his wife as Christ loved the Church
• love his wife as his own body
• nourish and take care of her
• leave father and mother to cling to his wife
• love his wife as himself
And for the husband he spells out what it means to love his wife as Christ loves the Church: he must “hand himself over” for her so that she might be made holy, purified by Baptism and the word of God, presented to Christ in splendor, holy and immaculate, without “stain or wrinkle or anything of that sort.” In short, he must devote himself to helping his wife grow to perfection. But he must do it as Christ did: by “handing himself over,” sacrificing himself, “emptying himself” as Christ did. Thus, to husbands in particular Paul exhortation would apply:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8.)
Paul may have been dealing with husbands like many today who, though devout churchgoers, hesitate to “get into religion” with their wives at home; for example, by reading and discussing Scripture, praying together, or planning how to make the home “reflect the faith vision in their heart,” as every Christian home should. If so, it explains why Paul targets husbands in this exhortation, all of which applies equally to both husbands and wives. Perhaps he thought husbands especially needed to hear it. And they do, in our time if not in his.
The Cursillo Movement, Charismatic Renewal, and multiple Men’s Clubs provide evidence that men are not less religious than women; or even, given the right circumstances, less willing to talk about it. But it does seem that in the home many are less willing to provide leadership for mutual growth in holiness, or to follow the lead of their wives if they themselves do not feel capable. Paul’s letter challenges this.
Did Paul’s letter change anything in Ephesian family life? Will all of us, exercising responsibility as stewards of the kingship of Christ, succeed in making changes in our culture?
Initiative: Read and reflect upon Luke 13:18-21.
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
Comentarios