Self-gift
John Paul II ( Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body , p. 168-9 ) notes that parents and children have a natural fleshly unity with one another. In marriage, by contrast, the one-flesh relationship is chosen: This “reciprocal choice . . . establishes the conjugal covenant between the persons, who become ‘one flesh’ only based on this choice.” Thus their union “carries within itself a particular awareness of the meaning of the body in the reciprocal self-gift of the persons.”
Marriage thus becomes the supreme created exemplar of free self-gift. And, it’s for this reason that marriage is the key image of the Lord’s covenant with His people - because the covenant is grounded on a choice, an election, and because of that choice God gives Himself to His Bride.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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