"We must love our neighbor as being made in the image of God and as an object of His love."
- Saint Vincent de Paul
The Church teaches, and Scripture teaches, that man is made in the image and likeness of God; "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness," (Genesis 1:26) Obviously He did not only make man (Adam), but also woman (Eve), and He made us that way for a couple purposes, especially being found in the marital act. The Church teaches that the marital act has a twofold purpose; unity, husband and wife being united in one flesh (Genesis 2:24), and also procreation (Genesis 1:28), husband and wife taking part with God in the creation of new life. Along with the actual marital act, there is the parental duty of raising the children in a life lived for God alone.
However, we must also understand the divine implications of the marital act and even of the love between a couple even before marriage (however, it's realized and understood fully in marriage); the love between a couple, especially between husband and wife, is a reflection of the love of God, for God, Who is Love, is a communion of Persons. With this, we understand the most important thing in any relationship; to be someone through whom God's overflowing love can flow to the other person, to lead the beloved to Christ through your being a reflection of His love for them. In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul commands this reflection when he writes, "As the Church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her". For husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, they must be a conduit for His love to flow through, and it is the same for wives, For God, Who is Love Itself, is passionately in love with each and every one of us, and He has made the bond between men and women, learned about in our interaction with one another and realized especially in marriage, able to show His love for us, His Bride.
Of course, it's not just in marriage, in romantic relationships, that this can be found. Any kind of love between people, actual, agape love, is reflective of our Lord's love for us, as well as reflective of the love between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, the love of the Trinity can be clearly seen in marriage, when husband and wife love each other, and the outpouring of their love begets another person, just as the Holy Spirit is the procession of the love between the Father and the Son. Yet even before marriage, couples should seek to be the reflection of this love for each other even though they should not yet do so in the conjugal and marital act, for they aren't yet completely bound to each other yet. There are different ways that each couple can do this, of course, but most important are praying together, reading and/or discussing Scripture together, going to Mass and Adoration together, and encouraging each other in all spiritual matters, for it is in the ways that we grow closer to our Beloved Lord that we most grow closer to each other.
Again, the point is that those of us who are called to marriage and are courting are called to be reflections and conduits of our Lord's love for each other. Anyone can be that for anyone at any time, of course, but it's especially important in such a personal relationship like a romantic one leading to discerning for marriage, for in marriage is found that greatest reflection of God's love. But we are called to be so even at the beginning of a relationship, to be a sign and giver of His love for the other, for our beloved, for this is how relationships can bring us closer to our Lover of Lovers.
All of you holy men and women and all of you angelic choirs, especially Pope Saint John Paul the Great and St. Raphael the Archangel, please pray for all of us who are called to marriage!
All you readers, please pray for the writers of this page and for their vocations!
No comments:
Post a Comment