and hidden it in three mea­sures of flour, until it is all leavened.”

REFLECTION:
At first glance it seems that St. Paul is putting women down as inferior to men when he admonishes wives
to be submissive to their husbands. But when we continue the reading towards the end, St. Paul makes the
conclusion that the man leaves his father and mother to be united with his wife.
Thus it appears that the man becomes “submissive” to his wife inasmuch as she takes precedence over the husbands own parents!
Thus the first verse provides the proper optics when St. Paul says that “submission to one another” is the rule!
There are different kinds of submission, though. So St. Paul uses the relationship of Christ with the Church as the me­taphor.
As the Church is submissive to Christ, so the wife is submissive to her husband. As Christ loves the Church even unto death,
so the husband “surrenders” his life for the good of his wife! This is the great mystery of Christ and his Church as well
as the mystery of husband and wife! When couples are submissive to one another, the beauty of the Christ
– Church relationship becomes more manifest. Married couples, your love is the sign we need to understand Christ and his Church!

© Copyright Bible Diary 2020