Ephesians 5:21-31

[AngelaMarie]

The scripture where Paul talks about the submission of wives to their husbands and husbands to the Lord etc.

I find myself in the beginnings of a new relationship with a Catholic man and I want to have the correct and holy understand of how the Church wants us to understand this?

How is the lived out correctly and a holy way?

 

[NoelFitz]

I may be incorrect, but if I may I will give my understanding.
The key phrase is ‘Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.’ Partners should mutually respect each other and each should not insist on its own way. To give in to your partner/spouse at times adds to domestic harmony.
Much of this pericope refers to the customs of the ancient world and should not be applied too literally now.
Often it is important to remember the two most important words a husband can say in minor matters - ‘yes, Dear’.

 

[porthos11]

The scripture where Paul talks about the submission of wives to their husbands and husbands to the Lord etc.

I find myself in the beginnings of a new relationship with a Catholic man and I want to have the correct and holy understand of how the Church wants us to understand this?

How is the lived out correctly and a holy way?

The husband is an image of Christ for the family; he is the priest of the family and holds both the responsibility for the spiritual upbringing of the children and well-being of the entire family. The wife, as the image of the Church, submits to this responsibility and authority and does not usurp it. This means the converse is true: if the husband fails to live out this role, he will answer to God. Part of this means the parents providing a unified front before the children in spiritual matters, both parents, following the husband’s leadership ensuring that all spiritual obligations are met.

The passage goes to to liken the husband’s role to that of Christ and his sacrificial death. This means the husband’s authority is a sacrificial one: he has to give of himself for the temporal and spiritual needs of his family, just as Jesus did for his Church. That is why the husband is commanded to love his wife in the same way. The wife also needs to submit to his love, in other words, let her husband love her and sacrifice for her.

This is not a call for men to lord it over their wives no matter what: the exhortation is to both the husbands and the wives and their roles in Christian marriage.

 

[AngelaMarie]

The husband is an image of Christ for the family; he is the priest of the family and holds both the responsibility for the spiritual upbringing of the children and well-being of the entire family. The wife, as the image of the Church, submits to this responsibility and authority and does not usurp it. This means the converse is true: if the husband fails to live out this role, he will answer to God. Part of this means the parents providing a unified front before the children in spiritual matters, both parents, following the husband’s leadership ensuring that all spiritual obligations are met.

The passage goes to to liken the husband’s role to that of Christ and his sacrificial death. This means the husband’s authority is a sacrificial one: he has to give of himself for the temporal and spiritual needs of his family, just as Jesus did for his Church. That is why the husband is commanded to love his wife in the same way. The wife also needs to submit to his love, in other words, let her husband love her and sacrifice for her.

This is not a call for men to lord it over their wives no matter what: the exhortation is to both the husbands and the wives and their roles in Christian marriage.

Thank you. This makes sense to me from the Christian perspective