From the Desk of Angie Allen, Editor-in-Chief
My brother recently got married. The ceremony was beautiful; I saw peace and joy, effects of God’s grace, bestowed on my brother, his new wife, our families, and all present. But Our Lord also revealed to us an aspect of His nature that made some—including the celebrant—uncomfortable.
My brother had chosen the Mass readings himself—among them was Ephesians 5, which is arguably the most “politically incorrect” Scripture reading for a wedding in our day and age.
Specifically, Ephesians 5:22 reads: “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.”
The celebrant remarked on the “radical” nature of the selected readings three times. I wondered how some of the wedding guests might have been feeling. Perhaps some cast its message off as “outdated” and irrelevant. Perhaps some viewed it as not meant to be taken literally.
Does this verse lead to any discomfort in your own heart? If so, you might ask yourself (and Our Lord) why that is.
Despite the humble beauty behind the etymologies of the words “submit,” “subject,” or “subordinate,” the counter-cultural edge of the Scriptural message remains. And because of it, we can lose the context and fail to hear the words immediately before or after these verses.
What it comes down to is radical love. Borrowing from St. Thomas Aquinas, if to love means to “will the good of the other,” then this necessitates one’s submission, subjection, or subordination to that other, to their good—even, and especially, when it requires sacrifice.
Love as Christ loves. This is the message we hear over and over again throughout Scripture, including in Ephesians 5. Love as God Himself loves.
He reveals this lesson to us in the way that He loves us and in the way that He loves in the Trinity.
Christ subordinated Himself for the good of us, the Church, His Bride, by His Passion and Death. Husbands are by no means “off the hook” with Ephesians 5! Just finish reading the chapter, and you’ll see. It commands them to love their wives radically, humbly, and sacrificially until death—in the way Christ loved His Bride.
Showing us perfect Trinitarian love, Christ submits Himself to the will of the Father. He showcases for us how to experience suffering, even fear, within sacrifice—by asking God to come to the rescue, to provide comfort and assistance, but ultimately by submitting to His holy will. “Thy will be done” in all things and forever. Thus, Christ teaches us how to love as the Beloved.
Seen in this context, “subjecting” oneself is not about playing into traditional gender roles and certainly not about permitting unhealthy marriage dynamics. It’s about loving radically as Christ did.
Any discomfort stirred up by these verses means that God is moving something. He’s drawing your attention there for a reason.
It’s often humbling; it’s often uncomfortable. But as Pope Benedict XVI said, “you were not made for comfort; you were made for greatness.” His quote not only applies to physical realities but to spiritual learnings as well.
Catholic Exchange is one expression of this call to love. For loving requires knowing, and our mission is to increase our audience’s love for God by sharing the witness, teachings, and reflections of the universal Catholic Church.
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Photo by kabita Darlami on Unsplash
