The Meaning of the Marital Covenant
By David Picella The human historical drama of The Bible has fascinated scholars for centuries and there is no shortage of interpretations. The most amazing thing is perhaps how easily it will lend us the perfect perspective through which to examine and evaluate modern issues and problems. One very powerful metaphor that runs throughout both the new and the old testaments is the radical way in which God establishes a covenant with his people. Through an examination of the covenantal promises of God himself, we find the perfect examples by which to evaluate the meaning of the term covenant in the marital union. Gods Covenant with Abraham In the book of Genesis God makes the amazing promise to give Abram (who together with his wife Sarai had given up on having their own children) that he will be blessed with descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven. Even further, on that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, to your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates. (Gen 15:18). Interestingly, both Abram and Sarai are shortly thereafter referred to as Abraham and Sarah, thus signifying the change in identity that occurs as a result of entering into a covenantal bond. The symbolism of the rite of covenant that God enters into with Abraham speaks volumes about the true meaning of covenantal promises. Following Gods directions, Abram slaughters a three year old heifer, a she-goat, and a ram, setting their pieces apart from each other. Shortly after, Abram goes into a deep sleep. Then the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. (Gen 15:17). According to the Navarre Bible, there is an ancient rite (cf. Jer 34:18) whereby the action of the two partiespassing between the pieces of the victimsindicated a readiness to be similarly cut in pieces if one were guilty of breaking the pact (pp. 96-97). In this scene, God, represented by the flaming torch, gives us a supernatural example of the meaning of the word covenant as he passes between the pieces to ratify his promise. From this example, a covenant, such as that which is taken between two spouses, then, is much more than a legal contractit is the total offering of oneself with the other. What a different world we might live in if spouses were to take their vows so seriously. Another great example of what the call to holiness in matrimony really means is given by Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. In an effort to delve deeper into the mystical relationship between Christ and the Church, he offers the metaphor in which husbands and wives are part of a one flesh union whereby the man is the head and the woman is the body. He begins by exhorting spouses to be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Speaking to wives he states be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. And then comes the powerful call to husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Eph 5:21-25). Saint Paul himself refers to this covenantal relationship as a great mystery. (Eph 5:32). Personally, I always wondered what Saint Jose Maria Escriv, a prolific Catholic writer and the founder of Opus Dei who was canonized on October 6, 2002, meant when he would say quite simply: Be a man! This passage from Ephesians seems to make it quite clear. In this short article, the examples of Gods covenant with Abraham and Saint Pauls exhortation to a condition of heart between husbands and wives that is selfless and holy without blemish (Eph 5:27) has been used to demonstrate the biblical sense of the word covenant and how it relates to the covenantal promise between spouses. While thousands of years have passed between one event, to the other, and even to the present, the meaning of the term covenant seems to be as rock solid as it once was in the beginning. (Editing disabled while spellchecking) Stop spell checking Copyright 2005 Majella.us David Picella is a Nurse Practitioner and a PhD Student who started The Saint Gerard Fertility Care Center of Duarte, CA. The center is a point of entry for pro-life women’s healthcare services based on a new reproductive science called NaProTechnology. Additional articles by David and other experts in reproductive medicine and Catholic healthcare can be found at:http://www.majella.us Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Picella http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Meaning-of-the-Marital-Covenant&id=105709 dominican republic ambien sleeping pill what is ambien product sale ambien comprimido zolpidem
