By Ian Nelson
On April 18, 2018, Father Paul Scalia from the diocese of Arlington, Virginia, gave a presentation to college students about the importance of Catholic relationships. The address was held at The Catholic University of America.
Fr. Scalia’s talk offered some excellent insights into human relationships, particularly that of husband and wife. He spoke about the differences in how men and women view relationships based on how they were created by God. Adam and, through him, all men were instructed to till the earth and be steward over creation. Eve was made from Adam’s own body to be a fitting companion for him. Thus, men and women were made to be in relationships with one another.
Men, with their God-given mission in mind, often think in a mission-oriented way, focusing on a particular job or problem. Women, on the other hand, were created to be companions, and with the capacity to bring new life into the world, and as a result tend to look at relationships as a whole. Understanding these notions is vitally important for men and women to understand one another.
Too often, conflict is caused by people not being able to see the other person’s point of view. The most important part of loving others is comprehending how they think and view the world, and for a proper relationship to exist, each person must love the other. Thus, a good relationship requires proper knowledge and understanding from each person in order to produce love, joy, and happiness.
Below is the full presentation given by Father Scalia. The question-and-answer session can be found on the YouTube channel.