Question 28 – What Is The Church’s Teaching On Submission Within Marriage?

Transcript:

They have to follow the Holy Scriptures; the Church cannot be above the Holy Scriptures. St. Paul says that the true relationship in marriage should analogously be the same as that between Christ and his Church, the bride. The sacrament of marriage is a symbol of Christ and the Church's union. This is the content of the sacrament; from it flows practical behavior. As Christ is the head, we cannot deny that the husband is not the head of the family, and it is not an issue of dominance because, just as Christ is not dominating us, he is loving us, and he gives us life. It is the husband's responsibility to love his wife and even to give his life for his wife and children. This is, of course, a very demanding but very important task; it has to be, and it is always the head of the family who is in charge.

When we want to live in the just eyes of marriage, especially according to the Word of God, the wife has to submit to her husband. It is not a matter of who is less important but of order, just as in the order of creation. God created Adam first, then Eve. Adam is representing Christ, and Eve is representing Mary, the new Eve. The heart of this relationship between the husband and wife is in the submission of love and respect; you cannot separate love and respect.

Therefore, the wife is the heart and the husband is the head; this is the order of the marriage that God established. Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote a short book about marriage. He said you need three to get married: the husband, the wife, and Christ. If you have Christ in your marriage, the wife is also in some way submitted to the husband according to the teachings of the Gospel.

I mean this in the supernatural sense; according to the author of creation, being obedient or submissive to your husband is an expression of respect and love.