Is It Relative?

I have a lot of relatives. You know, those people who have weird mannerisms that we ourselves start emulating the older we get!

Some of my relatives are nice, some are grumpy, some became relatives by my choice and others because of no fault of my own! Marriage has a way of uniting whole clans together. When I chose Terasue to be my wife, I also chose her family. Funny thing though, I only asked her parents - I didn't ask her siblings. After I proposed, I asked for my parents' blessing - probably should have asked their permission. Good thing they like Terasue!

Marriage is a symbol of our relationship with God! The Roman Catholics so value marriage they consider it an actual Sacrament. I don't think of marriage as an ordinance of the Church, but I do see marriage as a holy, ordained of God, institution that is more than a union between a man and a woman. It is a statement of the Church's union with Christ Himself.

He asked for the Father's permission and for the Holy Spirit to seal the union. He also asked for our hand in marriage. He is asking us to join His family - The perfect Communion. And, He has gone to prepare a place for us in His Father's House.

Maybe I should really take this to heart in my daily life. Maybe I should love my wife the way Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for Her. Maybe I should value my union with Christ the same way I value my union with my wife. Maybe I should think about the things with which I unite Christ.

Jesus chose to invite us to become a part of His Family. He demonstrated that He was willing to be a part of ours as well by becoming Flesh among us. But, that doesn't mean that He likes being related to our unions. The Apostle Paul says, "Don't unite yourself to a prostitute for that is to unite Christ to a prostitute!" But, it is not just prostitutes, we need to be careful what things we make "relatives" of Christ.

Maybe we just make Christ relative rather than considering the way we make Him a relative of our sin.