“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh….Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." (Matthew 10:7-8) In these verses Jesus points out how husband and wife attain unity in body and soul. You might wonder why, a few verses later, Jesus jumps to:
"Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 10:14)
The connection between husband, wife and children makes more sense in light of Genesis 1:22: “Be fruitful and multiply…” Of course, this fruitfullness has to start with the complete giving that's part and parcel of a marriage covenant. This is not just a glorified form of cohabitation. There’s a qualitative, sacramental difference because, in the end, married love takes flesh in the form of children and continues in, through and for the children.
That's the intention of marriage, not the accident! I hear people say, “Well, we’re not ready for a child yet, so we decided to get a dog.” "Where is the similarity?" I will often ask. Children are not our property. They're not just an opportunity to care for something so we can get something in return. That's what dogs are for! With children, we care for someONE, so that that someONE can get all of our returns.
Besides, husbands and wives don't unite to form a dog, they unite to form a person. Granted these little persons usually come with a bigger price tag, less thanks and more grief than the average poodle...but a person is infinitely valuable, a dog is not.
I don't have to think too long about this. All I have to do is look at my daughter. When I do, I see my wife, I see our love, I see the child it produced. Sure, our daughter waddles like a penguin and talks in 3 languages but makes sense in none, but the fact that love created her, and raising her compels us to love, makes life into the miracle it's supposed to be.
Categories:
Posts
