Live the Good Life - Live Devout

 
 
Today my family and I just returned from a brief visit with my family in Michigan.  It was a delightful but short visit.  The traveling is always a challenge with six children and usually one of them ends up sick while on the road.  Of course, this time was no different.  However, the trip as a whole was a great blessing, especially "car conversation".

My wife knows how I get after hours of driving and always tries to revive me through deep conversation.  She might start off with some difficult scripture quote or some passage from the Illiad to try to bait me into a discussion.  This drive was no different.  She thought she would start with a quote from Genesis, "Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh."   (Genesis 2:24 - drbo.org)   She then proceeded to ask me what I thought of this in light of the many instances both in scripture and in modern life where a man ends up under his father's house (or farm or business) and the wife is the one that forsakes family.

So what do you answer to a question like that after being on the road for 5 hours in a mini-van full of kids?  Well, I saw it as a chance to talk about the spiritual significance of authority and paternity - here are my thoughts.  This is a statement of revelation about the man's authority rather than just his physical location.  It is more about his new found paternalistic authority as the head of his household rather than him having to move away from his parents.  He is now the head of his household rather than subservient to his father.  One can see how this took place historically when the son would still be in his father's tribe, but would be given his own flock of sheep or other animals. 

This authority structure finds its fullfillment in Christ in the famous quote from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, "Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord:   Because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the savior of his body.   Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things."  (Ephesians 5:22-24 - drbo.org)  The husband's authority is now his responsibility in Christ to live as Christ and for the wife to live as an image of the faithful Church.  They shall "cleave" to each other, and yet, the husband bears the ultimate responsibility for the holiness and salvation of his wife and family.

This scripture always brings up the issue of subjection.  I have been reading a beautiful book about the cloistered life called,  "A Right to Be Merry" by Mother Mary Francis.  She opens a delightful window into the life of a Poor Clare nun back in the 50's.  She speaks of obedience in these terms, "An obedient religious simply cannot blunder while she obeys.  The superior may be wrong in commanding, but the subject is still right in obeying.  It is a wonderous alchemy by which the brass of an imprudent order is unfailingly changed to gold for the one who obeys it.  Too many persons think of being bound to obey.  Actually, it is the headiest exercise of our liberty to be free to obey.  Adam was the lord of the world when he was free to obey.  When he surrendered that glorious freedom in order to disobey....well, which human heart does not keep the record of his sorry loss?"

Unfortunately, we could echo her sentiments with relation to modern marriages, too many feel that Ephesians 5 is such a negative thing.  In fact, I once attended a Mass where they omitted the part on subjection of women!  However, this scripture and call from God Himself is a great gift of freedom.  Obedience may be a cross that is difficult to bear at times, but also allows a great freedom and joy in knowing that you are following God's will by being obedient to your rightful superior, be it your spiritual director, your religious abbot or mother, and yes, even your husband!  Think of the great gift that has been given to us, simply because of Jesus' obedience to the Father....and what damage was done because of one little act of disobedience in the garden of Eden!

Live obedient - live devout!
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