§372Man and woman were made "for each other" - not that God left them half-made and incomplete: he created them to be a communion of persons, in which each can be "helpmate" to the other, for they are equal as persons ("bone of my bones. . .") and complementary as masculine and feminine. In marriage God unites them in such a way that, by forming "one flesh",245 they can transmit hu…

§1605Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for one another: "It is not good that the man should be alone."92 The woman, "flesh of his flesh," i.e., his counterpart, his equal, his nearest in all things, is given to him by God as a "helpmate"; she thus represents God from whom comes our help.93 "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife…

§1616This is what the Apostle Paul makes clear when he says: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her," adding at once: "'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church."110

Source. Translated by J. Walker, J. Sheppard and H. Browne, and revised by George B. Stevens. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 11. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/210204.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Adven…

Source. Translated by J. Walker, J. Sheppard and H. Browne, and revised by George B. Stevens. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 11. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/210221.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Adven…

Source. Translated by J. Walker, J. Sheppard and H. Browne, and revised by George B. Stevens. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 11. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/210223.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Adven…

2. Does not behave itself unseemly. Nay, why, says he, do I say, she 'is not puffed up,' when she is so far from that feeling, that in suffering the most shameful things for him whom she loves, she does not even count the thing an unseemliness? Again, he did not say, she suffers unseemliness but bears the shame nobly, but, she does not even entertain any sense at all of the sha…

2. Now then after that in every way he had shown her to be very exceedingly great, again he does so from another most important head, by a fresh comparison exalting her dignity, and saying thus; but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease. For if both these were brought in in order to the faith; when that is every where s…

The Unity and Indissolubility of Marriage For some time now preparations have been going on for the next ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place in Rome in autumn of next year. The theme of the Synod, "The role of the Christian family," concentrates our attention on this community of human and Christian life, which has been fundamental from the beginni…

Analysis of the Biblical Account of Creation Last Wednesday we began this series of reflections on the reply Christ gave to his questioners on the subject of the unity and indissolubility of marriage. As we recall, the Pharisees who questioned him appealed to the Mosaic Law. However, Christ went back to the "beginning," quoting the words of Genesis. The "beginning" in this ca…

The Second Account of Creation: The Subjective Definition of Man With reference to Christ's words on the subject of marriage, in which he appealed to the "beginning," we directed our attention last week to the first account of man's creation in the first chapter of Genesis. Today we shall pass to the second account, which is frequently described as the "Yahwist," since it uses…

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished. Moses now teaches that the work of creation was accomplished not by one continued act, but was distributed through six days, for the purpose of accommodating the work to our capacity. God rested on the seventh day, not because he was weary, but to invite us by his own example to the contemplation of his works. The Sabbath therefore …

1. The Power of Harmony in Relation to Prayer. Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them. Matthew 18:19 The word symphony is strictly applied to the harmonies of sounds in music. And there are indeed among musical sounds some accordant and others discordant. But the Evangelic Scripture is fam…

What is "to believe," which is the internal act of faith? In how many ways is it expressed? Is it necessary for salvation to believe in anything above natural reason? Is it necessary to believe those things that are attainable by natural reason? Is it necessary for salvation to believe certain things explicitly? Are all equally bound to explicit faith? Is explicit faith in Chri…

Marriage was ordained by God in the time of man's innocency, and is therefore honourable among all men. The parties shall be admonished of their duties: the husband to love his wife as Christ loved the Church, the wife to submit to her husband as to the Lord, and both to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Those who have the gift of celibacy from heaven, so that from the heart or with their whole soul they are pure and continent and are not aflame with desire, let them serve the Lord in that calling, as long as they shall feel endued with that divine gift; and let them not lift up themselves above others, but let them serve the Lord continuously in simplicity and humility. But th…