LETTER FROM REV. JOHN G. LODGE
THE ECCLESIASTICAL DEAN OF CHICAGO'S MAJOR SEMINARY IN MUNDELEIN
ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT HABISOHN'S THEOLOGY AND HIS ADVISE TO WOMAN WITH MARITAL TROUBLE
(actual scanned documents page 1 91K, page 2 149K, page 3 155K)

University of Saint Mary of the Lake
Mundelein Seminary
1000 East Maple Avenue
Mundelein, IL 60060-1174
www.usml.edu

Printed 1/8/03 3:33 PM

la. Is Steve Habinson's Interpretation of Ephesians 5 consistent w1th the teachings of the
Catholic Church?

Yes and no.  Basing my answer on the ZENIT interview (10/29/03). I would have to say that
Mr. Habisohn's exegesis of Ephesians 5:22 starts off quite well.  He is very right to put that
verse in the context of the previous verse, which is best translated: "Be subject [not
"subordinate"] to one another out of reverence for Christ." That sets up the reciprocal
relationships: "Wives to your husbands...."; husbands love your wives ...."

Habisohn points out correctly that the meaning of the passage Is controlled by Eph 5:21: the
stress is on mutuality-complementarity if you will, but not such that one is more submissive
to the other.  The Pope makes the same point in "Mulieris Dignitatem" (#24):

       The author of the Letter to the Ephesians sees no contradiction between an exhortation
       formulated in this way and the words: "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the
       Lord.  For the husband is the head. of the wife" (5:22-23).  The author knows that this
       way of speaking, so profoundly rooted in the customs and religious tradition of the
       time, is to be understood and carried out in a new way: as a "mutual subjection out of
       reverence for Christ" (cf. Eph 5:21).

The Pope makes the same point again in his treatment of Eph 5:21-33 in The Theology of the
Body.¹

1b. Should a wife orient her will to her husband's will?

Most exegetes of Ephesians 5 -- including Pope John Paul II -- would not speak of an
orientation of wills that was one way.  The Pope is careful to discern the difference between
the Church's relationship to Christ and the wife's relationship to her husband (again, "Mulleris
Dignitatem, 24):

       This is especially true because the husband is called the "head" of the wife as Christ is the
       head of the Church; he is so in order to give "himself up for her" (Eph 5:25), and giving
       himself up for her means giving up even his own life.   However, whereas in the
       relationship between Christ and the Church the subjection is only on the part of the
       Church, in the relationship between husband and wife the "subjection" is not one-sided
       but mutual.

A bit further on in the same section the Pope continues:

       The apostolic letters are addressed to people living in an environment marked by that
       same traditional way of thinking and acting.   The "innovation" of Christ Is a fact: it
       constitutes the unambiguous content of the evangelical message and is the result of the
       Redemption.  However, the awareness that in marriage there is mutual "subjection of
       the spouses out of reverence for Christ", and not just that of the wife to the husband,
       must gradually establish itself in hearts, consciences, behavior and customs.  This is a call
       which from that time onwards, does not cease to challenge succeeding generations; it is
       a call which people have to accept ever anew.

The Pope, then, is very careful to show how Eph 5:21 teaches an innovation in the relationship
between men and women, a new way of reciprocity which has yet to fully take hold in many
of today's cultures.  Any "orienting of wills" should be reciprocal and mutual.

2. Is Steve Habisohn correct in that it is a husband's duty to discern if his wife's desires are
good for her?

No. The gist of the argument in Ephesians 5 and in the thought of the Pope is that husband
and wife should have a mutual sense of care for one another.  At times that might mean
respectfully and lovingly challenging or questioning the other., but neither spouse has a greater
responsibility here than the other.

3. Can you recommend any sources to better explain Ephesians Chapter 5?

The Pope treats Ephesians 5 in his encyclical "Mulieris Dignitatem", #24 (available on the
Web), and in his General Audiences collected in The Theology of the Body (Boston: Pauline
Books and Media, 1997), 304-368.

4. Do you know anything about Steve Habisohn, his personal opinions, or if he should be
trusted as a reliable Catholic expert on the relationship between man and wife ?

Mr. Habisohn has founded www.giftfoundation.org. He has a related site: www.E5men.org.
According to a ZENIT interview (Oct. 29, 2003). Mr. Habisohn's is "the president and founder
of an apostolate dedicated to the Church's teaching on marriage and sexuality called The Gift
Foundation." ² On his E5 website Habisohn promotes the idea of husbands' fasting on bread
and water for one day a month for their wives, thus supposedly imitating Christ who,
according to Ephesians 5, "makes a bodily sacrifice for his bride, the Church." He claims to
have 6400+ men signed up as of November.

Mr. Habisohn has simply put out his shingle on the Web and asked for money.  He has no
special training or background other than his personal study of the Pope's ideas surrounding
the theology of the body.  On the one hand, I agree with Mrs. Radtke that, when one looks
over the material on his sites, there doesn't seem to be too much with which to argue.   He
promotes material related to the Pope's "Theology of the Body" and Natural Family Planning.

Still, if the (name omitted)  are accurate in their reporting of Habisohn's letter to their friend, he
overstepped his bounds.  He should stay out of the marriage counseling business.   Furthermore,
his language in the letter he wrote their friend is nowhere supported in either Ephesians 5 or in
the writings of John Paul.

I hope these notes are helpful.
_________________________________________

¹ (Boston: Pauline Books, 1997), 309-10.
² The description on his website says: "The GIFT Foundation is a not-for-profit lay apostolate dedicated to promoting the Catholic Church's teaching on the faith, marriage and sexuality.  We encourage men and women, created male & female in the image of God, to make their lives a sincere gift of self.   In this way they not only discover the meaning of their lives, but as husband and wife, they participate in the very mystery of God, Who is Gift."