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In today’s readings we see how Jesus relates to women. Jesus is a
special man, and the way he relates to women is a model for the rest
of us men. After all, Jesus designed the woman, when He fashioned
and created Eve, the first woman. All womanhood, [The Germans use
the term, “the eternal feminine,” das ewig weiblich.] is patterned upon
Eve, the prototype of all women. And Jesus designed her.
Eve is the perfect companion, a suitable helpmate, for the man
Adam. She would be his soul mate, by bringing the special
qualities of her person to the relationship. The special gift,
the special genius, of the woman is her appreciation of the
complexity of a person. The woman is very close to persons. She
intuits our needs, our pains, and our feelings. Think of the
close relationship between a mother and her child, between a
wife and her husband.
Jesus came to bring eternal life to women, as well as to men. In
the Gospel today we find Jesus healing two women. One was
suffering from a flow of blood since she was twelve years old.
The other was a twelve-year-old girl who had died, and Jesus
brought her back to life. Jesus can respond to the needs of a
woman better than any other man. He has the capacity for love,
like no one else. And he can give life, like no one else.
In the reading from Hosea, God uses the woman as a
personification of all mankind. The relationship between God the
Father and his people is similar to that of a marriage. Just as
the relationship between Jesus, the Son of God, and his Church
is similar to marriage. God wants the complete and unconditional
love of his bride. He wants his love to be freely returned,
without reservation.
In the Garden of Eden we find that Adam was alone and
frustrated. There was no one to whom he could relate at a deep
level. That is why God designed the woman, Eve, for him. Now we
find that God too, in a certain way, feels alone and incomplete.
He deeply desires other persons to relate to, other persons who
can enter into a communion of love and life with Him. He is
jealous when his bride abandons him for other suitors, like
Baal, power, pleasure, and wealth.
We can spend much time reflecting upon the imagery that God uses
to explain the relationship between Him and us, the image of
marriage. If we want to understand God’s plan for marriage, then
reflect upon the relationship between God and us, reflect upon
his fidelity, his generosity, and his steadfast love for his
bride. Then we can understand why a 50% divorce rate today is so
contrary to God’s plan for marriage, and why contraception and
sterilization are so contradictory to God’s plan for spousal
love. We can then understand why single sex unions and
cohabitation are an attack upon marriage and the family.
We need more prophets today like Hosea, and like John Paul, to
proclaim God’s awesome plan for marriage. One such group is the
Pope John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family. I am very
happy to learn that this institute will now have a permanent
home at Catholic University of America, in the former Keane
Hall, now to be renamed the Fr. Michael J. McGivney Hall.
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
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That the Church may
help understand God’s steadfast love for us through the
imagery of marriage, we pray to the Lord …
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That civil leaders will
promote the importance of the family, and defend the
institution of monogamous marriage …
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That we may all find ways to
strengthen good marriages, we pray to the Lord …
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That troubled couples may
find the encouragement and support they need from other
couples who enjoy a successful marriage …
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For all those who prepare
young couples for marriage, and sustain them in their
difficult periods …
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