The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer perspectives
on the growth of family life in service and love for each other. Friar JudeWinkler comments that the passage from the Letter to the Ephesians does not
coincide well with other commentary of Paul on marriage. It contains Stoic
influence which values an ordered universe in which the roles of people are
well defined. This philosophy which influenced thought in the Roman Empire
during the first and second century is developed by the author to go beyond
stoicism to an exhortation to relate to people through love and mutual
obligation. The advice of this passage may be difficult to transfer to the
culture of today yet the treatment of spouse as a part of our own body
certainly is still a valid goal. The words of Psalm 128 describe the blessing
of the family. The gathering of family members around the table is a very
tangible experience of the power of love and mutual obligation in
relationships. Friar Jude offers consolation from the texts of the Gospel of
Luke today wherein Jesus emphasizes that gradual growth of the Love of the
Kingdom within people, families and communities is the usual path. The
culmination of this care and attention to the little things of love is a
marvellous witness to the ordering power of the Body of Christ in the universe.
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