Since the Garden of Eden man’s challenge has been to recognize gifts in his life. A relationship with God is always a good foundation to see and recognise the beauty of creation and the creativity of each individual. Every man is a unique creature, life is given to him. From the beginning of creation God made man male and female. It is through his experience of original solitude, nakedness, innocence and unity that man discovers his own calling. Man is created out of love and for love, which means that he is created for a relationship. He is called to live in order to love because he is loved. Moreover, he is called to love the way God loves. Since man is created in God’s image and likeness, his fundamental relationship is with God. The fact that man is capable of building relationships has a divine origin as God Himself lives a perfect relationship within the Trinity, where the three persons of God form a perfect communion of persons. From the Holy Trinity, from God who is love everything flows. Therefore, the first task for both of them is to open themselves to God’s love. In this a call to holiness resounds for both of them. Husband and wife help each other on this path and can together achieve holiness. It is essential that this earthly relationship, this earthly wedding feast leads them one day to the heavenly banquet. Their relationship has been blessed from the beginning as a relationship of unity when they became “one flesh”. In this way the relationship is becoming fruitful. The fruit of the relationship is new life coming to the world as a man or a woman. John Paul II reflects on the Apostle Paul’s words concerning the great mystery of Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom, and his Church, the earthly Bride, as well as their union. Husband and wife has been the image of this union from the beginning. Man is called to fight for the good, the beautiful and the true. Since the devil wants to belittle the image of God in man as well as the imprint of the Creator in the world, this fight for the triumph of God’s call to love exists in every heart. A man is called to never forget the love of God that has called him into being, whereas a woman is called to adopt the attitude of acceptance that responds to the invitation of love. Together they are discovering the beauty of the gift as they are mutually offering each other to one another. The family, the sanctity of marriage as well as the communion of husband and wife are the most glorious images of God’s love in the world, even though it is today often in its fragility not recognized as such. Many times their communion isn’t recognised as the image of God’s love. Christ has through his redemption restored man to his original perspective, so that man can again watch the Garden of Eden and is able to live out God’s plans for him.
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