Of Ephesians 5:22, the Pope says that “the author does not intend to say that the husband is the lord of the wife and that the interpersonal pact proper to marriage is a pact of domination of the husband over the wife. Instead, he expresses a different concept–that the wife can and should find in her relationship with Christ, who is the one Lord of both of the spouses, the motivation of the relationship with her husband which flows from the very essence of marriage and of the family.”
…
The fullest expression of the Holy Father’s teaching regarding the role of the husband in Marriage can be found in his apostolic letter Mulieris dignitatem (August 15, 1988). Following the line of thought from the Wednesday general audience discussed in the two proceeding paragraphs, the Pope indicates in Mulieris dignitatem 24 that the hermeneutic intended by the author of Ephesians for verses 22 and 23 is verse 21. John Paul II identifies “mutual subjection” (cf. verse 21) as the Gospel “innovation” to be applied to the relationship between husband and wife. Referring to Ephesians 5:25, he reiterates that “the husband is called the ‘head’ of his wife as Christ is the head of the Church.” If the husband is the “head,” then he must follow Christ’s example and give himself for his wife, even to the point of sacrificing his own life. The Pope continues by pointing out a difference within the Christ-Church, husband-wife analogy: **whereas it is only the Church which submits to Christ, within Marriage the spouses are mutually subject to one another. In John Paul II’s view, the mutual subjection of husband and wife “must gradually establish itself in hearts, consciences, behavior and customs.” **He implies that a full embrace of this innovation of the Gospel is something not yet achieved. He concludes Mulieris dignitatem 24 by emphasizing that “all the reasons in favour of the ‘subjection’ of woman to man in marriage must be understood in the sense of a ‘mutual subjection’ of both 'out of reverence for Christ.’”
**
**