Reflection on Readings: The Lover and The Beloved - Part 1

22Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. 24 As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her 26 to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, 27 that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.

(August 23 2nd Reading:  Ephesians 5:21-32)

This is one of the commonly-used readings during weddings and one that is often misconstrued or incompletely understood.  Incompletely - because we often get stuck on just the first part and forget the second part, losing its full context and meaning.  Last Sunday, Fr. Chris, from The Divine Mercy Shrine in Massachusetts, peeled the rich text's multiple layers and facets.

Parallelisms

Jesus + Church

Husband + Wife

Lover + Beloved  

All love stories begin with a lover who finds a beloved, woos her, proves his love for her, she reciprocates and they get married. It becomes a happy ever after if they stick to the formula provided in the reading.  But, the point is, it begins with a lover who loves first and keeps on loving at all costs.

Lover + Beloved = Love

God the Father + God the Son = God the Holy Spirit

Joseph + Mary = Jesus

Husband + Wife = Child/ren

In the beginning was God the Father who loves His Son.  Their love for each other was so great, that it took the form of the Third Person in the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit.  So, too, a child is born (whether from the body or from the heart) out of the love between husband and wife.  The child is the embodiment of that love.

Order of Priorities

Fr. Chris aptly points out that we have become a child-centric society with our order of priorities as follows: (1) Child/ren; (2) Spouse; (3) God.  But it should be:  (1) God; (2) Spouse; (3) Child/ren,

Love God above all else. It's the first and most important commandment, not because God is a proud and vain god, but because loving Him enables us to see others and ourselves the way He does; and to love in His fashion: selflessly and purely.

Love your spouse ... because you are ONE.  "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Brother Bo said in one of his posts, "I believe that the best way a husband can love his children is to love their mother. And the best way a mother can love her children is to love their father."  And I agree because in loving each other, a husband and wife provides their children with the security of a loving and solid home.

Then love your child. (No elaboration needed).