MARRIAGE AND PARENTHOOD
MARRIAGE AND
PARENTHOOD
When God created Adam, he saw that it was not good for
him to be alone. He said, “I will make a
helper suited to him.” God then created
the animals “but none proved to be a helper suited to the man.” So God caused Adam to fall asleep, and out of
his rib he formed a woman. When Adam saw
her, he recognized her as his partner: “‘This one, at last, is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this
one has been taken.’ That is why a man
leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become
one body” (Genesis
2:23-24). The first commandment God gave them was for
Adam and Eve to be “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue
it” (Genesis 1:27-28). Thus, the vocation of marriage preceded all
things, even the cultivation of the earth.
All of creation is built upon the union of man and woman.
Marriage was given by God so that
man and woman would not be alone; they were meant to become a family. “The vocation to marriage is written in the
very nature of man and woman as they come from the hand of the Creator” (Catechism #1603). They were willed by God for each other and for
their children, that they may have the dignity of joining God in the ongoing work
of creation. “By transmitting human life
to their descendants, man and woman as spouses and parents cooperate in a
unique way in the Creator’s work” (Cat #373). They cooperate
first by conceiving a human life, and then by caring for his or her material,
spiritual, and psychological needs.
In the first account of creation Genesis
states that “God created man in his image; in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them” (1:27). They share the same
dignity, which is emphasized in the second creation account when the woman is
formed from the side of the man. He awakes
from his deep sleep and joyfully cries out: “This one, at last, is bone of my
bones and flesh of my flesh” (2:23). The two are equal in dignity, but are not the
same. Precisely by their difference the
woman is suitable to the man and the man is suitable to the woman. Their complementarity is the source of life
and the cause of joy for them and their children.
God made husband and wife responsible
for the rearing and education of their children. Sexual complementarity exits in marriage not
only for the sake of fertility but that they might complete each other, as it
were, and rightly raise their children. God
created children to need a mother and a father for their proper nourishment and
formation. Today there are many heroic
single parents who are raising their children, especially mothers. They deserve our support and admiration. But we must not forget that God meant for
every child to be cared for by a father and a mother. God himself reveals this in that he gave his
only Son an earthly father to raise him.
Jesus learned from St. Joseph the things that only a father can teach
his son. Joseph inspired him by his
example, protected him by his authority, affirmed him by his love, and taught him
a trade. Largely because of Joseph – and
certainly because of his Mother Mary! – St. Luke could write that “The child
grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40).
On Mother’s Day we celebrate mom
in a special way. She deserves our love
and respect. Moms so often carry the
greater burden in running the household.
The reward they seek are our love and gratitude, and we honor them by
living a good and upright life. Whether
she is with us in this vale of tears, or has passed on to the world which knows
no end, let us take to heart this Scriptural advice: “With all your heart honor
your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother. Remember that through your parents you were
born; what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?” (Sirach 7:27-28). Thank you and God bless you, mom!
Since
parents have given children their life, they are bound by the most serious
obligation to educate their offspring and therefore must be recognized as the
primary and principal educators. This role in education is so important that
only with difficulty can it be supplied where it is lacking. Parents are the
ones who must create a family atmosphere animated by love and respect for God
and man, in which the well-rounded personal and social education of children is
fostered. Hence the family is the first school of the social virtues that every
society needs. It is particularly in the Christian family, enriched by the
grace and office of the sacrament of matrimony, that children should be taught
from their early years to have a knowledge of God according to the faith
received in Baptism, to worship Him, and to love their neighbor. Here, too,
they find their first experience of a wholesome human society and of the
Church. Finally, it is through the family that they are gradually led to a
companionship with their fellowmen and with the people of God. Let parents,
then, recognize the inestimable importance a truly Christian family has for the
life and progress of God's own people.
The order of the world was deeply affected when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had told them not to eat. Eve was the first to take a bit, and she was directly tempted by the devil. Genesis says that her husband “was with her” at that moment, yet he did nothing to defend her, which was his manly responsibility (Genesis 3:6). He failed not only to obey God but also to protect his wife, and the consequences for the world were terrible.
As history progressed the role of
the woman became subordinate to that of the husband, for he was the breadwinner
and the stronger one. But the Bible is
clear that man and woman need each other.
As St. Paul writes, “Woman is not independent of man or man of woman in
the Lord. For just as woman came from
man, so man is born of woman; but all things are from God” (1 Corinthians 11:11-12). The wisdom literature of the Old Testament
has high praise for a faithful wife and mother: “Who can find a woman of
worth? Far beyond jewels is her value” (Proverbs 31:10). “Happy is the husband of a good wife” (Sirach 26:1). “She watches over the affairs of her
household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband, too, praises her” (Proverbs
31:27-28).
Just as a man needs a good woman
by his side, so do the children need a good mother. The Bible promises many blessings to the
faithful wife and mother.
“God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” The first command that God gave to the man and the woman was to “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:27-28). God’s plan was for man and woman to come together and form a family. It was not good for Adam to be alone. He needed a “helper” that would be suited to him.
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