One of the most controversial topics in New Testament interpretation today is St. Paul's statement, found in the long form of this Sunday's Second Reading, "Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord" (Colossians 3:18). Many would prefer not to discuss the passage at all. Oftentimes the short from of the reading is used at Mass to exclude this line. But precisely because the passage is so controversial, we should talk about it.
Discussions of the passage often neglect the context. The next line reads, "Husbands, love your wives" (Colossians 3:19). In our contemporary culture, the word "love" has been greatly weakened and has often been reduced to little more than being nice. But the New Testament concept of love is much more substantial. To love means to act in a Christ-like manner. Christ showed love by giving himself fully, even at the cost if his own life.
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Photo Credit: Igreja São João em Porto Alegre, Brasil : Vitral Sagrada Família from Wikimedia Commons.
