Be Filled

Welcome to the show! This episode we are continuing our study on Saint Pope John Paul II’s teaching of the Theology of the Body. Today we are beginning our conversation on Part Two entitled The Sacrament. The Sacrament, as we will find out, is not ONLY referring to marriage. According to JPII, the one “great sacrament” is both the union of husband and wife and the union of Christ and the Church. This episode we will discuss audiences 87-90. This is the beginning of JPII's analysis of Ephesians 5:21-33. 

Quotes: 

“Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, he who is the Savior of his body. And as the Church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be subject to their husbands in everything. And you, husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water accompanied by the word, so as to present his Church before himself all glorious, without spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and immaculate. In the same way, husbands have the duty to love their wives as their own body, for the one who loves his wife loves himself. No one, in fact, ever hates his own flesh, but he nourishes and cares for it, as Christ does with the Church, because we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and unite with his wife, and the two will form one flesh. This mystery is great; I say this in reference to Christ and the Church. Therefore also you, each one on his part, should love his wife as himself, and the woman should have reverence toward her husband.” (Ephesians 5:22-33) 

“The reciprocal relations of husband and wife must spring from their common relation with Christ.” (Pope John Paul II, TOB) 

“The mystery of Christ must be “spiritually present in the reciprocal relation of the spouses-penetrating their hearts.” (Pope John Paul II, TOB) 

Christian marriage only happens when it “mirrors the love that Christ, the Bridegroom, gives to the Church, his Bride AND when the Church seeks to give back to Christ in return. This is the redeeming, saving love, the love with which man has been loved by God from eternity in Christ.” (Pope John Paul II, TOB) 

Reflection Questions: 

1. What stuck out to you most in this episode of the podcast?
2. What is your understanding of the passage we read in Ephesians 5? Have you seen this passage as just “old fashioned”?  How did this episode help you in your understanding?
3. What has your experience with your earthly father influenced your image of God the Father? Could there be a connection with how you see men, in general, and how you think husbands are called to treat their wives? Pray with this and ask the Lord to heal any wounds and show you his character.
4. Do you think that you, as a woman, need to “do it all”? Do you allow yourself to be taken care of or do you think that makes you “weak”?
5. Have you ever thought of marriage as a Sacrament meant to purify you and lead to the healing of your wounds? What are your thoughts on this?
6. Take some time to read the Letter to the Ephesians so that you can get a sense of the message of the whole letter. Pray with it and ask the Lord to lead you.
7. We are called to the vocation to love and to holiness. How are you pursuing this vocation? How are you open to what God is calling you to in your everyday life?
8. We “do battle” here on earth by being filled by the Holy Spirit and living as “children of light”. What does this look like in your life? In your family? In your friendships? In your community?
9. What are you really looking for in that “glass of wine”? Pray with that desire and consider going to Adoration to spend time with the Lord.
10. Consider these words: Chosen, Loved, Called. Do you know the truth of your identity in Christ? Pray with these words and ask the Lord to tell you how He sees you and what he desires for your life.
11. Consider letting go of your “to do’s” and make a list of your “I do’s”. What can you do to make a gift of yourself to your spouse and better image God’s love? 

Resources: 

Pints With Aquinas: What To Do When Marriage Gets Hard (Jason and Crystalina Evert) 

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/mark-july/chase-the-sun

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