The Mystery of Christian Marriage through the Ages

Book excerpt: Deep prayer. Cleaving to our Lord Jesus Christ. Immersion in the Scriptures. Baptismal and eucharistic faith in quest of ever-deeper understanding. Historical un-naivety. A theological care for the truth that abides. An interest in diagnosing cultural and civilizational shifts. Attention to the words and teachings of the Church Fathers. Linguistic sensitivity. All these operational elements come together in this book, which seeks to search out the "Nuptial Mystery" of the human condition--"from the beginning" when we were first created, through the dramatic damage contracted in the Fall, as it plays itself out in the struggles of human history, towards the beckoning fulfillment of all things in the world that is to come. This is not just another book on marriage, but an education in a way of theologically "seeing" the Mystery of Christ written into our human vocation as male and female, called to spousal covenant, open to the primacy of God, fruitful with a fruitfulness coming from God, and leading us to the bridegroom on the cross, come to espouse his bride, the church.