Saturday, August 18, 2007

Motherhood

"A mention of this verse on Jesus Creed got me looking for other commentary from Orthodox Christians on it. I know that the Orthodox take this both figuratively as referring to the work of the Theotokos in bearing Christ, and literally in teaching that the inherent self-sacrificial love of motherhood births Christ both in the mother and in others. These are really two aspects of the same thing. What the Theotokos did, we must all do- take in the life of Christ and bear Him in our lives.

Protestantism is uneasy with such comfortable handshakes of allegory and the literal."

Gina, Women will be saved through childbearing

These words are still ringing in my consciousness.

1 Timothy 2:15 says women can be saved through childbearing.
How so? I ask. Gina answers the question. However, in consideration of childbearing happening through marriage, the sacrament of marriage that is...
It gives good argument in support of Marriage actually being a sacrament - sacrament being defined as more than just an "ordination" as Protestantism likes to define it. A Sacrament in the sense that it is a vehicle in which God's Grace is manifested.
If Holy Matrimony truly is "Holy Mother-making" this all falls into place.

What profound thoughts. Parenthood by necessity becomes a vocation.

I'd love to expand on these thoughts further. Does any of you have thoughts on this?

6 comments:

Lydia said...

I don't know what I think of it yet.

Are sacraments mandatory?

elizabeth said...

I've never really understood this verse, but i suppose a part of that springs from the knowledge that i probably can't have kids becuase i have an extrememly weak heart and crrying a child would be extrememly dangerous and i would pass on all my medical probs to this poor kid, which isn't fair.

what implications does that have in light of this verse?

all in all, i don't know wht i think yet

'Seph Sayers said...

My mother was told she had a weak heart - too weak in fact to bear children. But now I'm here and my sister too.
The argument about passing on this to a child being unfair is... well... B.S. So too do we pass on the "genetic disease" of Original Sin. Now that isn't fair.
:)

Owen said...

Using this definition

A Sacrament in the sense that it is a vehicle in which God's Grace is manifested.

I can absolutly see how marriage and parenthood are sacraments. You can't do them without God's grace.

I don't think any of the sacrements are mandatory though- I know the theif on the cross is overused- but it does apply here. He never had cummunion, was baptised, or anything else but repent.

I must admit- I pretty much ignore this verse. Learning about the cultural context of some of the other women-centric verses in the NT have helped me understand what they actually mean. I wonder if this is the case with this verse as well.

'Seph Sayers said...

"Using this definition

A Sacrament in the sense that it is a vehicle in which God's Grace is manifested."

It's the only way I understand a Sacrament.


"...the thief on the cross...never had cummunion, was baptised, or anything else but repent."
Well, he did have Christ's forgiveness. He forgave him unconditionally.

"I must admit- I pretty much ignore this verse. Learning about the cultural context of some of the other women-centric verses in the NT have helped me understand what they actually mean. I wonder if this is the case with this verse as well."
That's who whole point, isn't it?
Was it cultural, or was it a Pauline Corruption?
I'm not overly sure either. Both "options" have their implications.

'Seph Sayers said...

I agree with you lydia, I see marriage and parenthood as divinely ordained sacraments too!

Hey (I don't know if this is appropriate or not, so feel free to tell to to go to hell if I've crossed a line here), but are you Drew's lydia?