Reflection October 6, 1982

https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/jp2tb96.htm

Reading through this, there was a lot of pointing back to other discussions that have already been discussed and linking them to the idea of marriage as the primordial sacrament and why that ties into this language in Ephesians. I think I have grasp on what he is saying, but sometimes when I am typing these up, it feels like I am just saying the same things over again and that makes me think I am missing something. SJPII points that Ephesians quotes the scripture of Genesis in order to establish the importance of marriage at the beginning of creation, even before the creation of the world. God saw this gift of self and the gift of this union in such importance that it was given at the very beginning. It has practical meanings, in community and procreation, but it is also spiritually important as a sign of God’s relationship with us, the primordial sign, the primordial sacrament.

Ephesians points back to this because it wants to fully produce the analogy of Christ and the Church and a husband and wife. In order to do this, it must fully establish the gift of the sacrament of marriage, which cannot be fully done without pointing to the way it was in the beginning. This beginning, before sin, when the gift was given to man, and it was fully accepted, and fully realized between man and woman, this was God’s plan and this is what is there between Christ and the Church, because there is no sin in Christ or in the Church He established.

If Ephesians does not point back to the beginning, what marriage was in the beginning, then the readers of Ephesians would be in danger of what I have said is happening to us today. The analogy would fail because the readers perception of what marriage is would be distorted, and therefore their understanding of Christ’s relationship with the Church would be distorted. Ephesians must point back to a time when marriage was holy and immaculate to allow the analogy is fullest effect. That is why, I believe, SJPII calls marriage, especially marriage established by God in the beginning, is the primordial sacrament.