TOB Session 4
Section 2, Part 1: The Sacrament - The Dimension of Covenant and of Grace
Audiences 87-102
- Ephesians 5:21-33 (87-96)
87 Martial Love Reflects God's Love for His People
Ephesians 5:21-33; Genesis 2:24; 1:27; Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6; 22:30; Luke 20:35
In this audience, Saint John Paul II explores the profound theological insights contained in Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, specifically focusing on the relationship between Christ and the Church as a model for marital love. Drawing on Ephesians 5:21-33, he emphasizes the mutual submission and sacrificial love between spouses, mirroring Christ's love for humanity. The metaphorical and concrete meanings of the body converge in Paul's teaching, highlighting the dual nature of the Church as Christ's body and the unity of spouses in marriage. This passage underscores the sacramental nature of marriage, rooted in the divine plan from Genesis, where the union of man and woman reflects God's original intention for creation. Marital love thus becomes a visible sign of God's invisible grace, embodying the spiritual reality of Christ's love for the Church and illustrating humanity's vocation to communion and holiness.
How does Saint Paul's depiction of marital love in Ephesians 5 reveal God's plan for human relationships and reflect Christ's sacrificial love for the Church?
Saint Paul's exposition in Ephesians 5 portrays marital love as a sacramental sign that mirrors Christ's love for the Church. This depiction emphasizes mutual submission and sacrificial love between spouses, echoing Christ's own self-giving. Through this union, God's plan for humanity's communion and holiness is revealed, rooted in the divine design from Genesis. Understanding this biblical perspective helps us grasp the profound significance of marriage as a visible manifestation of God's love and grace in the world.
88 The Call to Be Imitators of God and to Walk in Love
Ephesians 1:3-7, 10; 1:22-23; 2:11-21; 3:14, 16; 4:24-32; 5:1-2, 8, 17-21; 6:1-9, 10-20, 21-22, 23-24 (perhaps speed read Ephesians 1-6 and discuss Ephesians 5)
In this audience, Saint John Paul II delves into the profound structure and thematic development of the Letter to the Ephesians, emphasizing its relevance for understanding both the Church's mystery and the sacramentality of marriage. The letter begins by outlining God's eternal plan for humanity's salvation through Christ, highlighting the Church as the embodiment of this divine plan. Moving from theological foundations to practical exhortations, St. Paul directs Christians to live out their vocation by imitating God and walking in love, as exemplified by Christ's sacrificial love for humanity. Addressing various aspects of Christian life, the letter calls for unity amidst diversity in spiritual gifts, moral rectitude in personal conduct, and a transformation from darkness to light through life in the Spirit. Particularly significant is the passage concerning marital relationships, where mutual submission and sacrificial love are enjoined as reflections of Christ's relationship with the Church. This audience sets the stage for a detailed exploration of Ephesians 5:21-33, illuminating its ethical and theological implications within the broader context of Christian discipleship and community life.
How does Saint Paul's instruction in Ephesians 5:21-33 about marital relationships reflect the larger themes of unity, sacrificial love, and spiritual transformation discussed in the Letter to the Ephesians?
Saint Paul's teaching in Ephesians encourages Christians to embody Christ-like love and unity in all relationships, including marriage. This passage emphasizes mutual submission and sacrificial love between spouses as integral to reflecting Christ's relationship with the Church. It underscores the ethical imperative for Christians to live out their vocation by imitating God's love and walking in the light of the Spirit. Understanding these teachings helps us grasp the profound implications of marital relationships within the broader context of Christian community and discipleship, emphasizing unity amidst diversity and the transformative power of God's grace in human lives.
It may be worth just reading Ephesians 1-6 for context and simplicity, but the above verses make it work.
89 Reverence for Christ the Basis of Relationship Between Spouses
Psalms 103:11; Proverbs 1:7; 23:17; Sirach 1:11-16
St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 5:21-33 emphasizes mutual subjection between spouses out of reverence for Christ. This reciprocal relationship is rooted in respect for the holiness of Christ and should reflect the mystery of Christ’s relationship with the Church. Paul instructs spouses to adopt an attitude of pietas, a profound respect similar to the Old Testament's "fear of God," which transforms their mutual relations into expressions of love and self-giving. This mutual subjection does not imply domination but fosters a profound communion based on Christ's sacrificial love. In addressing husbands specifically, Paul emphasizes love that precludes any form of unilateral domination, aligning the marital relationship with the model of Christ's self-giving love for the Church. This teaching challenges contemporary views on gender roles, stressing a balanced, Christ-centered partnership. Ultimately, the relationship between spouses is to mirror the relationship between Christ and the Church, highlighting a great analogy that enriches the vocation of marriage with spiritual significance.
How does the concept of mutual subjection "out of reverence for Christ" redefine traditional views on marital roles and responsibilities?
Mutual subjection "out of reverence for Christ" redefines marital roles by emphasizing equality and reciprocal self-giving rather than hierarchical domination. This perspective aligns with Christ’s model of sacrificial love, fostering a relationship based on mutual respect and shared responsibility. By rooting the marital relationship in reverence for Christ, both spouses are called to love and serve each other, reflecting the unity and communion seen in the relationship between Christ and the Church. This approach transforms traditional views, highlighting a balanced and spiritually enriched partnership.
What is a Relationship?
Relationship is the connection or association between individuals, characterized by mutual affection, respect, and commitment.
90 A Deeper Understanding of the Church and Marriage
Ephesians 1:4, 22-23; 5:21-33; Philippians 2:8; Revelation 19:7
St. Paul's analogy in Ephesians 5:21-33 presents the relationship between husband and wife as an image of Christ and the Church, revealing the mystery of salvation and divine love. This analogy clarifies the essence of marriage, showing it as a reflection of Christ's redeeming love for the Church, emphasizing mutual love and subjection. The text reveals that marriage reflects Christian vocation when it mirrors Christ’s self-giving love, with both spouses embodying reciprocal love and respect. By understanding the relationship of Christ to the Church, Christians can better understand the essence of marriage, which emerges from God’s eternal love for humanity. The author highlights that the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, emphasizing reciprocal submission rooted in reverence for Christ. Christ’s self-sacrificial love builds the Church and forms its deepest essence, portraying marriage as a sacramental sign of divine mystery. This analysis shows marriage as a visible sign of the Church united with Christ, highlighting its sacramental nature.
How does viewing marriage as an analogy of Christ's relationship with the Church deepen our understanding of both marriage and Christian vocation?
Viewing marriage as an analogy of Christ's relationship with the Church highlights the mutual, self-giving love essential to both. This perspective shows that marriage and Christian vocation are rooted in sacrificial love and mutual respect. Understanding this analogy underscores the spiritual dimension of marriage, revealing it as a sacramental sign of divine love. Therefore, recognizing this analogy deepens appreciation for marriage’s sacred nature and its reflection of Christ’s love for the Church.
91 ST PAUL'S ANALOGY OF UNION OF HEAD AND BODY DOES NOT DESTROY INDIVIDUALITY OF THE PERSON
Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:21-33; Philippians 2:8; Revelation 19:7
St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians uses the analogy of the head and body to explain the relationship between Christ and the Church, and between husband and wife. This analogy emphasizes that the Church is formed and constituted by Christ, much like a body by its head, highlighting an organic and somatic union. Despite this union, individuality remains intact; the man and woman are distinct personal subjects who consciously choose their conjugal union. The analogy illustrates that just as Christ is a distinct subject from the Church, spouses retain their individuality within their union. This bi-subjectivity is clear in Ephesians, where the reciprocal relationship between Christ and the Church, as well as between husband and wife, showcases mutual subjection and love. Christ’s love for the Church, aimed at her sanctification, serves as a model for spousal love. The sacrament of baptism, symbolized by the washing of water with the word, is a fundamental act of this sanctifying love, preparing the Church as the Bride of Christ in both the present and eschatological perspectives
How does the analogy of the head and body in Ephesians help us understand the balance between unity and individuality in marriage?
The analogy of the head and body illustrates that while unity in marriage creates a profound bond, it does not erase the individuality of each spouse. Just as the Church remains distinct from Christ despite their union, spouses maintain their personal identities within the marital bond. This bi-subjectivity respects and acknowledges the unique contributions of both partners, fostering a relationship characterized by mutual respect and love. Thus, the analogy highlights that true unity in marriage enhances rather than diminishes individual personhood.
92 SACREDNESS OF HUMAN BODY AND MARRIAGE
The Letter to the Ephesians likens Christ's relationship with the Church to that between husband and wife, emphasizing the Church's purity and beauty as a bride through Christ's sacrificial love. This metaphor underscores the significance of the body, illustrating how Christ's love renders the Church free of sin and eternally youthful. The analogy extends to marriage, where the husband's love for his wife mirrors Christ's love for the Church, highlighting the importance of mutual physical attraction and care in marital relationships. Love in marriage is characterized by unity, not in an ontological sense but through a moral and intentional bond, where the husband's love for his wife's body reflects his care for his own. This unity through love transforms the "I" of each spouse into a mutual belonging, emphasizing the moral imperative to cherish and nurture one another. The comparison to Christ's love for the Church, especially in the context of the Eucharist, elevates the sacredness of the human body, particularly within marriage, underlining the profound spiritual significance of conjugal relationships.
How does the analogy of the relationship between Christ and the Church enhance our understanding of the sacredness of the marital bond and the human body?
The analogy reveals that just as Christ's love for the Church sanctifies and beautifies it, so should a husband's love for his wife be self-giving and nurturing. This love fosters a profound moral unity, reflecting care and mutual belonging. Understanding this parallel helps recognize the sacred duty to cherish and honor one's spouse, mirroring the divine relationship between Christ and the Church. This perspective elevates the marital bond and the dignity of the human body, emphasizing their inherent sacredness.
93 CHRIST'S REDEMPTIVE LOVE HAS SPOUSAL NATURE
In Ephesians, the analogy between Christ and the Church and the union of spouses is grounded in God's salvific plan. The text cites Genesis 2:24 to highlight that marriage reflects the unity Christ has with the Church. This unity, a key aspect of God's revelation, is expressed as Christ's spousal love for the Church. St. Paul emphasizes the continuity between the covenant established at creation through marriage and the definitive covenant realized by Christ's sacrificial love. This sacramentality underscores the Church's mission to sanctify through sacraments like Baptism and the Eucharist, signifying the visible and efficacious sign of God's grace. The Letter to the Ephesians illustrates how the Church, analogous to a sacrament, manifests and accomplishes this divine mystery in the faithful.
How does the analogy between the unity of spouses and the unity of Christ with the Church help us understand the sacramentality of marriage and its role in God's salvific plan?
The analogy reveals that marriage is not just a human institution but a reflection of Christ's union with the Church, demonstrating a deeper spiritual reality. Christ's sacrificial love sanctifies the Church, paralleling how marital love should be self-giving and sanctifying. This unity underscores that marriage, like all sacraments, is a visible sign of God's grace, manifesting divine mystery in human relationships. Therefore, understanding this analogy helps us appreciate marriage as a vital part of God's plan for humanity's salvation.
What is a Sacrament?
A visible sign instituted by Christ to confer grace, to which He is bound, but not in a way that limits Him or His gift of grace. In terms of marriage, it is conferred by the spouses themselves and witnessed by the Church and neighbors
94 MORAL ASPECTS OF THE CHRISTIAN'S VOCATION
Ephesians 1:3-6, 7-10, 13; 3:9; Isaiah 54:4-7, 10
In this audience, the focus is on the profound mystery revealed in Christ as foundational to Christian life and vocation. Beginning with Ephesians 1:3-6, the letter highlights how God, in His eternal plan, chose humanity in Christ before the world began, offering spiritual blessings and adopting believers as His children through Christ’s redemptive sacrifice. This eternal mystery, hidden in God for ages, finds fulfillment in Christ, who unites all things in Himself according to God’s plan. The subsequent passages of Ephesians emphasize the moral implications of this vocation, stressing that Christians, having received the revelation of this mystery, are called to live in accordance with its truth. Particularly, the audience explores Ephesians 5:21-33, which underscores the sacramental and spousal dimensions of Christ’s love for the Church, drawing parallels to the Old Testament’s depiction of God’s faithful love for Israel using the analogy of spousal union, despite Israel’s historical infidelities.
How does the analogy of Christ’s spousal love for the Church, as depicted in Ephesians 5:21-33, deepen our understanding of God’s eternal plan and our moral responsibilities as Christians?
The analogy of Christ’s spousal love elucidates that our Christian vocation is rooted in God’s eternal plan of redemption, where Christ’s sacrificial love defines our moral obligations to live in unity and fidelity with Him and with one another.
95 THE RELATIONSHIP OF CHRIST TO THE CHURCH CONNECTED WITH THE TRADITION OF THE PROPHETS
Isaiah 54:4-10; Ephesians 1:4-5, 7; Dt 24:1)
This audience delves into the profound analogy drawn between the relationship of Christ and the Church, likened to a spousal union, and the traditional imagery found in the prophetic writings of the Old Testament, particularly Isaiah. Isaiah 54:4-10 portrays God's enduring love for Israel using the metaphor of a husband's compassionate love for his wife, emphasizing God’s faithfulness despite Israel’s historical challenges. Unlike other prophetic texts that critique Israel's infidelity, Isaiah's passage underscores God's redemptive love and faithfulness towards Israel, symbolizing a loving and protective husband. This imagery, rooted in Israel's history, sets the stage for the Letter to the Ephesians, where Christ's sacrificial love for the Church is explored in light of this ancient prophetic tradition, revealing the depth of God’s eternal plan and His salvific love for humanity.
How does the analogy of Christ’s spousal love for the Church, as depicted in Ephesians 5:23-26, deepen our understanding of God’s enduring faithfulness and His redemptive plan throughout salvation history?
The analogy between Christ and the Church as spouses, rooted in Isaiah’s depiction of God’s marital love for Israel, highlights God’s consistent faithfulness and sacrificial love throughout history. This analogy reveals God’s intimate relationship with His people, culminating in Christ’s redemptive sacrifice, which establishes a new covenant and unites believers as the Body of Christ. Thus, understanding this analogy illuminates the depth of God’s enduring love and His desire for union with humanity through Christ, emphasizing His role as both Creator and Redeemer in salvation history.
96 ANALOGY OF SPOUSAL LOVE INDICATES THE RADICAL CHARACTER OF GRACE
The analogy of spousal love, as depicted in the Letter to the Ephesians and Old Testament prophets like Isaiah, illustrates the profound mystery of God's love for humanity, represented as a total and irrevocable gift. This analogy provides a way to understand, albeit imperfectly, the divine mystery hidden in God and realized through Christ's love for the Church. This divine gift is radical, reflecting God's total self-giving within the limits of human capacity, emphasizing the communal and personal dimensions of love. The spousal love analogy uniquely highlights the radical nature of grace, distinct from other biblical analogies like compassion or paternal love. Furthermore, it clarifies the sacramental nature of marriage, illustrating how divine mystery is made visible and tangible through the marital union. This visibility of the invisible mystery, encapsulated in the relationship between Christ and the Church, underscores the sacrament's role in God's salvific plan, merging the origins of creation with the fulfillment of divine love.
How does the analogy of spousal love help us understand the radical and total nature of God's gift of grace?
The analogy of spousal love shows God's gift of grace as total and irrevocable, symbolizing a complete self-giving similar to a marriage. This totality is radical, reflecting the utmost extent of divine love given to humanity within human limitations. The analogy also emphasizes the personal and communal aspects of this divine gift, aligning the sacrament of marriage with the divine mystery. This understanding highlights the sacramental role of marriage in making God's invisible love visible and tangible.
2. Sacrament and mystery 97-99
97 MARRIAGE IS THE CENTRAL POINT OF THE SACRAMENT OF CREATION
Genesis 1:28, 1:31, 2:24, 3:10, 3:25;
In the Letter to the Ephesians, marriage is presented as a central element of the sacrament of creation, highlighting man's unique likeness to God. This likeness involves the conjugal significance of the body, encompassing original innocence and the primordial sacrament. The sacramentality of marriage reflects God's eternal plan for humanity, chosen before creation to be holy and blameless in Christ. Man, in his original state of innocence, embodied this holiness and purity, making visible the divine mystery through his physical form. Marriage, established in this state, signifies the ongoing creative and salvific action of God, extending the sacrament of creation to future generations. The Pauline doctrine links this understanding to the supernatural endowment given to man, rooted in the eternal election in Christ, thus presenting marriage as both a continuation of creation and a participation in divine grace.
How does understanding marriage as the central point of the sacrament of creation enhance our comprehension of its role in God's eternal plan?
Marriage, seen as the central point of the sacrament of creation, underscores its foundational role in God's plan for humanity. It symbolizes the unique likeness to God, original holiness, and the visible manifestation of the divine mystery. This perspective highlights marriage's dual purpose in both continuing creation through procreation and extending divine grace to future generations. Thus, understanding marriage in this way emphasizes its sacramental nature, deeply rooted in the eternal election and supernatural endowment in Christ.
98 LOSS OF ORIGINAL SACRAMENT RESTORED WITH REDEMPTION IN MARRIAGE-SACRAMENT
Ephesians 1:4, 1:7-8, 5:21-33; Romans 5:20; 1 Peter 1:23
Original justice and grace were lost with the first covenant's breach, diminishing the sacramental efficacy of marriage. Despite this, marriage retained its symbolic nature, foreshadowing the sacrament of redemption. Ephesians 5:21-33 links the primordial sacrament with Christ's redemptive love for the Church, presenting marriage as a profound mystery. This redemptive grace, analogous to the sacrament of creation, restores man's supernatural endowment through Christ's sacrificial love. The Church, united with Christ, draws spiritual fruitfulness and motherhood from this union. Marriage, from creation to redemption, makes visible the invisible mystery of God's eternal plan, with the sacrament of redemption fulfilling this mystery in history. Thus, the marriage of Christ and the Church is a definitive sign of the eternal mystery, revealed through the visible sacrament.
How does the analogy of marriage between Christ and the Church deepen our understanding of the sacrament of redemption?
The analogy of marriage between Christ and the Church illustrates the depth of Christ's sacrificial love and its transformative power. Just as marriage is a visible sign of the union between husband and wife, the sacrament of redemption makes visible the union of Christ with the Church. This sacramental bond restores the grace lost through original sin and reflects the eternal mystery of God's plan. Thus, marriage serves as a profound symbol of divine love and the restoration of humanity's supernatural endowment.
99 MARRIAGE AN INTEGRAL PART OF NEW SACRAMENTAL ECONOMY
Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:5-9; John 1:14; 1 John 2:16; Galatians 5:17; Ephesians 1:3, 5:21-33
Marriage, as a primordial sacrament, was part of the original covenant with God and the grace of creation. This sacrament, though not just a figure, became an integral part of the new sacramental economy established by Christ. Christ reaffirmed marriage's original institution and linked it with the sacrament of redemption, indicating marriage's essential role in the new order of salvific signs. This new sacramental economy, directed towards humanity burdened by sin, differs from the original one focused on man in original justice and innocence. Christ’s affirmation in Matthew 19:3-9 highlights marriage's integration into the sacramental order, emphasizing its significance beyond a mere model. Marriage's sacramentality reflects the mystery of Christ and the Church, forming a prototype for all sacraments. The sacramentality of marriage thus reveals the profound renewal of the original sacrament's salvific content.
How does marriage, as described in this audience, serve as a prototype for understanding the new sacramental economy established by Christ?
Marriage as a primordial sacrament serves as a prototype for the new sacramental economy by reflecting the spousal relationship between Christ and the Church. Christ reaffirmed its original institution, linking it with redemption and making it an integral part of the new order of salvific signs. This connection emphasizes the sacrament's deeper role beyond a mere model, illustrating the profound renewal of its original salvific content. Thus, marriage encapsulates the mystery of Christ and the Church, serving as a foundational sign of the new sacramental economy.
3. Sacrament and “Redemption of the Body” 100-102
100 INDISSOLUBILITY OF SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE IN MYSTERY OF THE REDEMPTION OF THE BODY
The Letter to the Ephesians (5:21-33) indirectly addresses the sacraments, particularly Baptism and the Eucharist, using marriage as an analogy for Christ and the Church. Christ's love for the Church, manifest in His sacrificial act, sanctifies and cleanses through Baptism, establishing the Church's sacramentality. This spousal relationship also reflects in the Eucharist, nourishing the Church as Christ nourishes His body. Though the sacramentality of marriage is not directly discussed, the letter confirms its essential role within the Church's sacramental framework. The spousal covenant between Christ and the Church elevates the primordial sacrament of marriage, urging spouses to model their lives on this sacramental foundation. Christ's teachings on marriage, especially its indissolubility, stem from the depth of the redemption of the body, emphasizing the original intent of marital union. His words, addressing the Pharisees' questions on divorce, affirm the enduring significance of marriage as instituted by God from the beginning.
How does the analogy of marriage in Ephesians 5:21-33 help us understand the sacramentality and indissolubility of marriage?
The analogy of marriage in Ephesians 5:21-33 illustrates the deep connection between Christ and the Church, showing marriage as a reflection of this sacred bond. This relationship sanctifies and elevates marriage, emphasizing its sacramentality. Christ's teachings reaffirm the indissolubility of marriage, linking it to the divine creation and redemption of the body. Thus, marriage's indissolubility is rooted in its representation of the unbreakable covenant between Christ and the Church.
101 CHRIST OPENED MARRIAGE TO THE SAVING ACTION OF GOD
Genesis 2:24; Matthew 5:27-28; 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12; 1 John 2:16
The Letter to the Ephesians (5:21-33) is examined in the context of Christ’s words on marriage in the Gospels, particularly Matthew 19. Christ's teachings affirm marriage as a sacrament from creation, reflecting God's salvific will for unity and love, akin to the union of divine persons. His emphasis on the indissolubility of marriage opens it to the redemptive power of God, countering the effects of sin. This redemptive action reaffirms the sanctifying action from creation. Christ’s words, both to the Pharisees and in the Sermon on the Mount, underscore an ethos of redemption, emphasizing the inherent dignity of the human body and its role in the sacrament of marriage. The Sermon on the Mount, addressing the commandment against adultery, extends this ethos, highlighting the intrinsic dignity and holiness of the conjugal union. Marriage, as a sacrament, calls individuals to participate consciously in the redemption of the body, emphasizing both its primordial sanctity and its redemptive renewal.
How do Christ's teachings on marriage in the Gospels reveal its sacramental nature and its connection to the redemption of the body?
Christ's teachings highlight marriage as an original sacrament instituted at creation, reflecting divine unity and love. He affirms its indissolubility, connecting it to God's salvific will and redemptive power. This underscores the body's dignity and the moral ethos tied to redemption. Marriage thus serves as a sign of God's covenant, urging conscious participation in redemption through conjugal union.
102 MARRIAGE SACRAMENT AN EFFECTIVE SIGN OF GOD'S SAVING POWER
Marriage, derived from the mystery of redemption and reflected in the spousal love of Christ and the Church, showcases God's saving power. Despite human sinfulness and inherent concupiscence, marriage serves as both a grace and an exhortation to overcome these tendencies. St. Paul highlights marriage as a special gift, which though sometimes seen as a remedy for concupiscence, fundamentally represents an ethical order harmonizing eros with ethos. As a sacrament of the Church, marriage embodies indissolubility and the call to live according to the Spirit, nurturing the hope of temporal life and suppressing selfish desires. This unity of spirit and body, blessed in procreation, underscores the dignity and sanctity of human life. While marriage does not pertain to eschatological realities post-resurrection, it holds profound significance for the redemption of the body and eternal hope. Thus, marriage, rooted in divine origin and creation, prepares humanity for its eschatological destiny by fostering an ethos of life and love in the temporal world.
How does marriage as a sacrament help spouses live a life according to the Spirit and dominate concupiscence?
Marriage as a sacrament provides spouses with grace, encouraging them to overcome selfish desires and live according to the Spirit. This grace helps to foster an ethos of mutual respect and love, deepening their spiritual and emotional unity. The sacramental nature of marriage imbues their relationship with a higher purpose, aligning their lives with divine will. Consequently, marriage not only strengthens the bond between spouses but also enhances their spiritual growth and fulfillment.
