By: Nancy Escalante

The Bible says:

A perfect wife – who can find her? She is far beyond the price of pearls. Her husband’s heart has confidence in her, from her he will derive no little profit. Advantage and not hurt she brings him all the days of her life. (Proverbs. 31:10 - 12)

Nowadays there is a strong tendency to discredit marriage through a series of fallacies, which state that marriage is a strong oppression for women and a great limitation for their real fulfillment, which goes against their dignity.

Through this radical feminine ideology it is sought that women only think in themselves, looking only for their own good, avoiding tasks and demanding rights, in such a way that she does not forgive her own mistakes nor other’s mistakes. She considers that love is a risk so it must only benefit herself, avoiding a total devotion.

Sometimes, due to the influence of hedonism and this selfish thought of the desire for pleasure, it might seem that being a woman or a wife implies a series of sacrifices that avoid women’s fulfillment and happiness. Nevertheless, on the contrary, satisfaction and the feeling of fullness is greater than any sacrifice one has to go through. In this regard, we have to remember that true love is not only being happy and receiving, it is also about loving, giving and sacrificing.

Before such statements it is important to make known the essence of The Woman – Wife, since it is she who shares her destiny with her husband’s through a total devotion and loving relation from both husband and wife.

A husband has confidence that The woman- wife is going to take care of him, their children and their home and it is exactly there where a woman can identify this gift of being a wife in a grateful way towards her Creator, or think that this is a simple obligation imposed by society. Those men who recognize the value of a woman, see her as a prefect couple and an unconditional support. Thank you Woman – wife, because you irrevocably unites your destiny with a man, throughout a relationship of mutual devotion, in favor of the communion and life” [1]

Before the recognition of this admirable gift of a Woman-wife, men also have the responsibility of helping her and taking care of her, considering this as a privilege since they can complement each other and take care of each other being both willing to share everything.

It is a fact that women are a precious gift for men from the Creator, who inspire them to work, to strive for what they want, so men feel the need to protect and take care of women. “Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy…….” (Epfesians 5, 25-29)

A woman who chooses marriage reaches her fulfillment in her total devotion since she has said “yes”, “I will love you forever” because marriage is a community of life and love, therefore, being a Wife is not an oppression, on the contrary it is an opportunity to grow, to give, to create and to transcend.

It is a reality that being a wife is not an easy task, but it is exactly there, where we find the challenge and the value of being a Wife, because if women surrender before difficulties and demands of love and of being a wife, they close themselves to the opportunity to show their strength, because even when a woman-wife is considered to be weak, fragile and self-sacrificing, on the contrary it is necessary to have a great strength, intelligence, will and giving capacity to take care of love, day by day, not only giving and caring but creating.

We reach to the conclusion that making your spouse happy in not an exclusive role of men or women alone, it is a shared task that shows the mutual responsibility of a married couple. Reciprocation is an essential ingredient of the married couple to keep alive communication and love between husband and wife through the years.
On the other hand Being a Wife is a privilege and an admirable act, since it implies great Strength, Generosity and Will.

A constant “yes” in every daily action in spite of the difficulties, reemerging from troubles.

It is to accept obligations and responsibilities, considering that it is an opportunity to devote herself for love every time she serves her husband, reaching happiness in this way.

It means to look for the happiness of the other without forgetting herself, reaching a balance combining wife and professional life with motherhood and everything that leads her to true self-fulfillment and satisfaction as a woman and as a human being.

It means TO LOVE CHRIST.

[1] Wojityla, K. (1996) Letter to Pauline Women: México, pp.4

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