Brothers and sisters: Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the Church, he himself the savior of the Body. As the Church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church. In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband. (Eph 5:21-33)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102924.cfm
Probably this is one of the most misquoted, misunderstood and misinterpreted passages in all the Scriptures. Even the writer recognizes that the analogy doesn’t really work when it comes to human relationships and claims that it’s simply a reference to Christ and the church and then drops all talk of subordination and simply says that a husband should love his wife, and a wife should respect her husband. A good warning to all preachers.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Tuesday, Week XXX, Ordinary Time
