.jpeg)
Part 5: Family and Sexual Ethics
Opening Reflection
The family is more than a social institution—it is a living icon of God’s
love. Every act of care, patience, and forgiveness within the family mirrors
Christ’s love for the Church. Let us consider: how can our relationships
reflect holiness in daily life, and how can the moral choices we make at
home shape our character before God?
1. Marriage as a Sacrament
- Marriage is divinely
designed, blessed in the Church, and meant to transform ordinary human
love into a reflection of Christ’s love.
“ስለዚህ ሰው አባቱንና እናቱን ይተዋል ከሚስቱም ጋር ይተባበራል ሁለቱም አንድ ሥጋ ይሆናሉ። ይህ ምሥጢር ታላቅ ነው፥ እኔ ግን ይህን ስለ ክርስቶስና ስለ ቤተ ክርስቲያን እላለሁ።”(Ephesians 5:31–32).
- Think of
marriage as a sacred school of virtue (የተቀደሰ የመልካም ስነ ምግባር ትምህርት ቤት) — a daily path where two hearts
learn to grow in patience amid tension, to respond with humility
when mistaken, and to remain steadfast (መጽናት) in love even in times of weakness. In this lifelong journey,
husband and wife are not just companions but co-pilgrims (አብሮ ተጓዦች), being
perfected together in Christ’s love — a love that turns every struggle
into grace and every ordinary moment into holiness.
- St. John
Chrysostom thought:
“Marriage is the school of virtue, teaching us patience,
humility, and sacrificial love.”
- Reflection for
Practice: How does a humble spouse act?
By listening with compassion (ርኅራኄ), forgiving with
sincerity (ቅንነት), and serving
with humility, a spouse becomes a living witness of Christ-like love for
the Church in the daily life of marriage.
To learn more about Orthodox marriage, you can follow the link below to read a series of essays in four parts: https://tewahedoperspective.blogspot.com/search/label/Marriage%20%3A%20EOTC%20Perspective?updated-max=2025-02-04T13:09:00%2B03:00&max-results=20&start=3&by-date=false
2. Chastity and Celibacy
- Chastity (ንጽሕና/
ቅድስና) is not about repression (ጭቆና)—it is the art
of regulating our desires according to God’s plan, within or outside
marriage.
- Celibacy (አለማግባት) is a calling for some, allowing undivided attention to God and
service. For monks and nuns in particular, it enables them to devote
themselves wholly to God and the life of prayer and ministry.
“ነገር ግን ያለ አሳብ ልትኖሩ እወዳለሁ። ያላገባው ጌታን እንዴት ደስ እንዲያሰኘው የጌታን ነገር ያስባል፤” (1 Corinthians
7:32–34).
- St. Basil the
Great:
“Chastity is a virtue that sanctifies
(መቀደስ) both the body and soul.”
- Real-life
question: How can I protect my heart and mind from temptation (ፈተና) while living according to God’s plan for my life?
3. Orthodox Teaching on Divorce and
Remarriage
- Marriage is
intended to be lifelong, yet the Church recognizes human weakness.
- There are a few
instances where divorce may be permitted under the Church’s
compassionate and discerning care, with repentance and healing as the
goal, not punishment.
For further guidance, you can also visit this link,
which is included in the link provided above:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/preview/3129497605351975242/2319312275152751200
- Remarriage is
guided by the Church, always aiming at healing and restoration.
“እርሱም፦ ሙሴስ ስለ ልባችሁ ጥንካሬ ሚስቶቻችሁን ትፈቱ ዘንድ ፈቀደላችሁ፤ ከጥንት ግን እንዲህ አልነበረም። እኔ ግን እላችኋለሁ፥ ያለ ዝሙት ምክንያት ሚስቱን ፈትቶ ሌላዪቱን የሚያገባ ሁሉ ያመነዝራል፥ የተፈታችውንም የሚያገባ ያመነዝራል አላቸው።” (Matthew 19:8–9).
This verse emphasizes that God’s original intention for
marriage is lifelong unity. Divorce was allowed by Moses because of the
hardness of people’s hearts, not as God’s will. Christ, however, restored the
divine standard, teaching that breaking the marital bond except for sexual
immorality leads to adultery.
- St. John
Chrysostom teaches:
“God hates divorce, but He is merciful to repentant
sinners.”
- Reflection for
practice: How can I stay faithful to God’s commandments while being kind to
those who struggle to keep His commandments?
4. Parenting and Christian Upbringing
(ክርስቲያናዊ የልጆች አስተዳደግ)
- Parenting (ወላጅነት) is a sacred
vocation (የተቀደሰ ሙያ), a daily
opportunity to reflect God’s loving love.
“ልጅን በሚሄድበት መንገድ ምራው፥ በሸመገለም ጊዜ ከእርሱ ፈቀቅ አይልም።” (Proverbs 22:6).
- Children learn
morality more from our action than from our words. Every act of kindness,
forgiveness, and prayer shapes their soul.
- The family is a
primary place where faith is learned and practiced—“the little
Church.” Parents are the first teachers of the faith.
“አንተም አምላክህን እግዚአብሔርን በፍጹም ልብህ በፍጹምም ነፍስህ በፍጹምም ኃይልህ ውደድ። እኔም ዛሬ አንተን የማዝዘውን ይህን ቃል በልብህ ያዝ። ለልጆችህም አስተምረው፥ በቤትህም ስትቀመጥ፥ በመንገድም ስትሄድ፥ ስትተኛም፥ ስትነሣም ተጫወተው።” (Deuteronomy 6:5–9)
- St. Isaac the
Syrian teaches:
“Train the child in the way of the Lord, that he may
not depart from it in adulthood.”
- Practical
question: Am I modeling the virtues I wish to see in my children?
Conclusion
Orthodox family and sexual ethics are about holiness in action. Marriage,
chastity, parenting, and fidelity (ታማኝነት) are not abstract
rules—they are daily opportunities to live God’s love, form virtue,
and shape souls in the image of Christ. The family becomes a school
of holiness where divine love is taught, practiced, and experienced.
Reflection Question
How can my daily choices in relationships, marriage, or parenting reflect Christ’s love and holiness? In what practical ways can I live chastity (ንጽሕና/ቅድስና), fidelity (ታማኝነት), and virtue in the midst of daily life challenges?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, who sanctified marriage at Cana and blessed the home of
every believer, grant us purity of heart and steadfast love. Bless our families
to be icons of Your divine love, filled with patience, forgiveness, and peace. Strengthen
husbands, wives, and children to walk in holiness and unity. Keep us chaste in
body and soul, faithful to Your commandments. Through the prayers of Your holy
Mother and all the saints, Amen.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
