NEED OF THE OTHER
Today is
the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings of today highlight on
the concept of Marriage in the human community. In the beginning God created
man and felt that he needs some helper to accomplish his mission on earth and
enjoy the creation. In this connection we may be pushed to think that the
existence of women is to help man and not vice versa. This very idea only made
man to behave as a ruler and to treat woman as an object. But if we read the
following verses in the first reading. It is man who needs to leave his father
and mother and be united with his wife. Thus, man has the responsibility to
take care of his wife. Though in our setting, we see woman leaving her father
and mother after the marriage and be united with her husband and his family, it
is in no way degrade the value of woman.
In this line,
the letter to the Hebrews, from where today’s second reading is taken, states
that the humanity which had fallen into sin was in need of the other to be
redeemed or saved. Therefore, God sent his own Son (not the created being,
rather the Uncreated Being) to save the created being. This shows that our God
is merciful and never wants any of his creation to be ruined. As man needs
women for his existence, the whole humanity (both man and woman) need the help
of the other to rise from the sinful nature and attain salvation.
As a
conclusion, in the Gospel Jesus was asked about the divorce in marriage. Jesus with
his all wisdom answered that it is due to the hardness of the people that Moses
allowed the concept of divorce but the reality is that man and woman form one
body through marriage. Yes, Jesus is restating the purpose of marriage as it
was in the creation. The purpose of marriage is not just to procreate and have
a pleasure. The prime concept of marriage is to have a helper in one’s life. Man
takes the woman and vice versa as helpers. Here, one may ask a question if procreation
is not the prime importance of marriage why can’t man have a male helper and
woman have the same? This is the question which has led to the rise of Gay and
Lesbianism. But the genuine answer for this problem could be derived from the
letter to the Hebrews, where we see that the created being (caused being) needs
a being that is other than of its own kind to grant a salvation. Thus, man needs
the opposite sex to get a help and support in his life. Because, what man can’t
do, could be done by woman and vice versa. In one’s life irrespective of male and female
everyone need the other as a help.
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