August 25, 2024 – The Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]
Fr. Matt Siegman
This Sunday, in the long form of the reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, we encounter a reading that strikes many as out of place in modern times, proclaiming loudly that “wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.” We must not take this verse out of context, though, because this verse is most definitely not saying that wives are inferior to, of lower dignity than, or mere servants of their husbands.
First, we must note the historical context in which St. Paul is writing. In the first century AD, the expectation was that wives were property of their husbands. In Roman households, for example, the paterfamilias had total power-even of life and death-over all in his household: wives, children, and slaves. If this verse meant that the wife was subservient to her husband, more akin to a servant with whom he fathers children, then there would be no need for St. Paul to write: that was the norm of the age.
Second, sometimes our translations mislead us. In the original Greek, this verse borrows its verb from the previous verse: “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Borrowing the verb implies a deep link between the two verses. The husband and wife, it implies, must subordinate themselves to each other as Christians and as spouses. Furthermore, the Greek word used here, hypotassomai, means “to place oneself under.” This means that the wife is the one taking the action here, not the husband. Finally, St. Paul uses different words when speaking of the obedience due in relationships of authority, such as a parent to a child or a master to a slave. That shows us that he sees the husband and wife relationship as something very different.
Third, I strongly believe that the husbands are called to do something even more challenging in this exhortation by St. Paul. They are called to love their wives “as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her […] that she might be holy and without blemish.” Scripture makes it clear that Christ’s entire life was spent in establishing his Church. He died so that his Church might live. Husbands, then, must die to themselves so that their wives might be holy and without blemish. A man must not mistreat or abuse his wife, for she has become one flesh with him, and must be nourished and cherished.
Fourth, St. Paul tells us that he is speaking in reference to Christ and the church during this entire section of his letter. The relationship between Christ and his Church can help us to understand the truth of marriage, and a good and holy marriage can be an example of the love of Christ between Christ and his Church. Nuptial imagery such as this, where God seeks out a spotless bride–the people of Israel in the Old Testament–is everywhere in the Bible. St. Paul is continuing this tradition in his letters, helping us to understand that the Church is the spotless bride of Christ.
Finally, when we bring all these things together, this reading becomes a challenge not only for husbands and wives, but for all of us in the Church who minister to God’s people. Since Pope Gregory the Great (who reigned from 590 to 604) the popes have been called servus servorum Dei, “Servant of the Servants of God.” This understanding reflects our Lord’s Gospel teaching that “the greatest among you must be your servant” (Matthew 23:11) and that “the kings of the Gentiles lord it over them […] but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.” (Luke 22:25-26) The pope is to serve those who serve the people of God. That is: the pope serves the bishops and priests, who in turn serve and minister to God’s people.
Our human understanding, wounded by sin, sees these as powerful positions of authority, but misses that they are positions of responsibility and service. Similarly, in the family, if we use the Church to help us understand the relationship of husband and wife, this means that while the husband may have what appears to be a position of power, his true task is to care for and serve his wife. The power, if we must speak of it, flows both ways. The clergy can destroy a pope’s power if it so desires, the people of God can negate anything a priest or bishop does, and a wife can ruin her husband. There are cases where this is just, as in cases of abuse or neglect, but there are also cases where it is not, such as when vainglory or ambition come into play. On the other hand, a wife can lift up her husband so that their entire family flourishes, the people of God can inspire their clergy to holiness, and the clergy can build up the pope so that he might be a beacon of salvation for all.
In the Gospel today, the disciples ask Jesus, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” While he is speaking of the Bread of Life, that we must partake of his Body and Blood to see salvation, his lesson should not be lost on us. Christ has taught us the path to his Father. St. Paul, in his letter, is helping to illuminate that path. The path to holiness and to follow Christ is hard. Many followers of Christ have abandoned him, just as they did in today’s Gospel. As a human being, I can imagine the pain in Christ’s heart as he turns to his apostles and asks, “Do you also want to leave?” It would do us well to remember the words of St. Peter’s response. “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
When we encounter teachings that challenge us, such as today’s teaching from St. Paul, we must remember that all that is in scripture is for our salvation. They are the words of eternal life. Sometimes they take some time to comprehend. But where else would we go? There is no other path to salvation.