The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (219 page)

5:18 do not get drunk:
Christians are called to live sober and respectable lives. For drunkenness opens the door to all kinds of dissipation (Prov 20:1), but sobriety enables us to live under the influence of the Spirit (Rom 8:5-11). Note that Paul advocates temperance and not strict abstinence from alcohol (1 Tim 5:23; CCC 1809). • The command is taken from the Greek version of Prov 23:31. 
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5:21 subject to one another:
This verse marks a transition into Paul's teaching on family life. He calls for mutual submission within the network of relationships that follow: husbands and wives (5:22-25), parents and children (6:1-4), slaves and masters (6:5-9). The submission Paul enjoins in these various circumstances is reciprocal although not strictly identical, for the commands given to husbands, fathers, and masters are different from those given to wives, children, and slaves. For similar household codes, see Col 3:18-4:1 and 1 Pet 2:13-3:12 (CCC 1642). 
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5:22-33
Paul views Christian marriage through the lens of Christ's covenant love for the Church. This analogy of faith highlights
(1)
the
indissolubility
of Christian marriage, since Christ will never withdraw from the Church or disown her,
(2)
the
sacramentality
of Christian marriage, since marital love is a living sign of Christ's love for the Church, and
(3)
the
reciprocity
of Christian marriage, since the Church submits to Christ's leadership even as Christ the bridegroom acquiesces to the prayers of his beloved bride. • The marital union between Christ and the Church in the New Covenant (2 Cor 11:2; Rev 19:7-9) recalls the marriage covenant between Yahweh and Israel in the Old Covenant (Is 54:5-8; Hos 2:16-20) (CCC 1612, 1641). 
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5:22 Wives, be subject:
The Greek implies her submission is free and voluntary, not degrading, servile, or coercive (Col 3:18; Tit 2:5; 1 Pet 3:1). Since a wife entrusts herself to her husband as part of her devotion to the Lord, her submission cannot be unconditional, especially if her husband commands what God expressly forbids (Acts 5:29). Though ancient society often viewed wives as the property of their husbands, Paul sees marriage as a loving partnership between spouses of equal dignity (Gal 3:28). 
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5:25 Husbands, love:
The husband's mission is to build up his marriage and family, not to dominate or demean them for selfish ends. His model is Christ, whose love was put into action by sacrifice. Again, Paul confronts prevailing customs, where husbands often reigned like tyrants over their household (Col 3:19; 1 Pet 3:7). 
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5:26 washing of water:
A reference to Baptism, which cleanses the soul of sin and beautifies it with grace (Acts 22:16; 1 Cor 6:11; Tit 3:5). The accompanying
word
refers to the baptismal formula spoken as the sacrament is administered (Mt 28:19) or possibly to the cleansing power of the gospel (Jn 15:3). According to Jewish marital custom, brides were presented to their bridegrooms after bathing and adorning themselves (CCC 1228). • Paul's comments recall the symbolic imagery of Ezek 16:8-14, where Yahweh entered a covenant of marriage with Jerusalem after bathing her in water and clothing her with beautiful garments. In the new economy, Christ weds the Church to himself after cleansing her in Baptism and clothing her with the fine linen of righteous deeds (Rev 19:78) (CCC 1617). 
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5:27 without spot or wrinkle:
Evokes the image of a garment that is clean and pressed. 
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5:29 nourishes:
The concern of a husband to meet his physical needs should likewise bring him to cherish his wife. • The close connection drawn between a man's flesh and a man's wife stems from Genesis, where the Lord used Adam's own flesh and bone to form his bride, Eve (Gen 2:21-23). • Paul's allusion to Adam and Eve implies a greater truth about Christ. He, too, fashions his bride, the Church, by giving her the sacramental substance of his own flesh and blood in the Eucharist. This is what makes the Church his
own flesh
(CCC 757, 1003).
See note on Jn 19:34
. 
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Word Study

Head
(
Eph 5:23
)

Kephalē
(Gk.): "head". The term is found 75 times in the NT and numerous times in the Greek OT. It can refer to the physical "head" of a man (Mt 5:36), animal (Gen 3:15), or statue (Dan 2:32). It can also mean "ruler" or "leader", as when King David is called the head of the nations (Ps 18:43) and when Christ is called the head of all things (Eph 1:22). Other ancient texts attest the meaning "source" or "origin", as when Herodotus refers to the headwaters of a river (
Histories
4, 91), when the Jewish philosopher Philo describes Esau as the progenitor of his entire clan (On the
Preliminary Studies
12, 61), and when the Jewish author of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs identifies deceitful spirits as the source of youthful misbehavior (
Testament of Reuben
2, 2). Paul uses this term in his teaching on marriage to encourage husbands to be heads or leaders within the home as Christ is head over the Church (1 Cor 11:3; Eph 5:23). As the context of these passages shows, Paul views marital headship through the creation narratives of Genesis, where Adam was both the head and source of his wife, Eve (Gen 2:21-23), just as Christ is the head and source of the Church (Eph 4:15-16; Col 2:19). For Paul, then, the Body of Christ can be pictured as the
torso
of Christ (anatomical image) as well as the
bride
of Christ (marital image). For more on this Pauline theme,
see note on 1 Cor 12:21
.

5:31 two shall become one:
A citation from Gen 2:24. • Genesis recounts the institution of marriage, between the first couple, Adam and Eve. Despite God's intention that this covenant be a permanent, fruitful, and exclusive bond of companionship, numerous deviations from the divine plan have marred its beauty over the centuries (e.g., polygamy, divorce, adultery, concubinage). Christ came to redeem marriage from these aberrations, restore its original dignity, and enrich it with sacramental grace (Mt 19:3-9) (CCC 1605, 1615-16). 
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5:32 mystery:
Marriage is an earthly image of the heavenly union between Christ and the Church. This spiritual symbolism was hidden from the beginning in the marital covenant and is now manifest in the New Covenant. Saint Jerome rendered the Greek word for "mystery" as
sacramentum
(sacrament) in the original Latin Vulgate (CCC 774-76). See word study:
Mystery
at Eph 3:3. 
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6:2 Honor your father and mother:
A citation from Deut 5:16. • This is the fourth commandment of the Decalogue and the first of the ten directed toward loving our neighbor (CCC 2214-18). It comes with a blessing of happiness and longevity (Eph 6:3) for those who obey their parents and care for them in old age (Sir 3:1-16). Rebellion against parental authority was commonplace among the pagans (Rom 1:30) and a capital offense in ancient Israel (Ex 21:17; Deut 21:18-21). 
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