The Divine Bridegroom
Saturday, January 10th Readings Reflection: Saturday after Epiphany
The Gospel reading today gives us a beautiful testimony from St. John the Baptist about Christ, the Church, and the role of the faithful. St. John the Baptist says, “You yourselves do bear me witness, that I said, I am not Christ, but that I am sent before [H]im. He that hath the bride, is the [B]ridegroom: but the friend of the [B]ridegroom, who standeth and heareth [H]im, rejoiceth with joy because of the [B]ridegroom’s voice” (Jn 3:28-29 DRB).
What is the prophet saying here? A Greek bishop whom St. Thomas Aquinas quotes in his Catena aurea gives us some insight. The bishop writes, “Christ is the [S]pouse of every soul; the wedlock, wherein they are joined, is [B]aptism; the place of that wedlock is the Church; the pledge of it, remission of sins, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost; the consummation, eternal life; which those who are worthy shall receive” (Catena aurea).
This idea of a spousal relationship between Christ and the Church and each soul is found throughout Scripture. Most notably, the Canticle of Canticles beautifully expresses Christ’s spousal love for His beloved, whose beauty He repeatedly praises. When our souls are in the state of grace—which we first gain through Baptism and later regain when necessary through Confession—Christ loves us with the same love whereby He loves the Church, saying to us, “How beautiful art thou, [M]y love, how beautiful art thou!” (Cant 4:1). This and all of these verses in the beautiful Canticle can be read as a love poem, not only to the Church, but to each and every one of us from the Heart of Christ.
Furthermore, as the Greek bishop explains in his commentary, the place of our wedlock or union with Christ is the Church. As Pope Innocent III infallibly declared at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” We cannot gain this spousal union with God except through the Holy Catholic Church. The promise of this spousal union, gained in the Church, is the remission of sins and union with the Holy Spirit. The connection with these rewards and the Church can be seen in the Sacraments of Penance and Confirmation.
Our nuptial union with God is consummated, the Greek bishop writes, in our attainment of eternal salvation. Once we (God willing) enter Heaven, our union with God is complete. From that moment on, nothing can separate us from Him for all eternity. All those who are worthy—that is, those who die in the state of grace—attain this eternal union with God. Those who die outside the state of grace willingly break this union for all eternity, and the greatest suffering in Hell is the pain of loss as the soul longs for the divine union for which it was created.
While we are on earth, the choice remains ours: will we join ourselves in this mystical spousal union with God through the sacramental life of the Church or will we reject His love and live instead for ourselves and our own desires? To follow Him means to pick up our crosses, but the reward far outweighs the sacrifice. May we choose this day and always to respond with love to the invitation of the divine Bridegroom, so that we may merit to spend all eternity united with Him.
The spousal metaphor unpacks something often overlooked in modern catechesis: that grace isn't just forensic pardon but relational intimacy. The link between Baptism as wedlock and Confession as restoration clarifies why mortal sin feels like betrayal, not just rule-breaking. I've noticed that framing salvation as consummated union rather than transaction helps people understand why Hell is primarily loss, not punishment. The Lateran IV quote anchors this beautifully, though it can feel exclusionary until you realize its pointing toward the means, not arbitary gatekeeping.
so wonderfully explained Chantal, thank you.