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I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! Psalm 139:14

God’s design of the human person is magnificent to behold. On a biological level, the human body is a remarkable machine with many systems working together to allow for life, movement, cognitive function, growth, repair, reproduction, and much more. These systems include the central nervous system, the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the digestive system, the immune system, the reproductive system, the skeletal structure and muscles.

On an emotional and spiritual level, human beings are equally amazing. At the moment of conception, each human person is unique and “endowed with ‘a spiritual and immortal’ soul” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1703).

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

Despite all of our individual uniqueness, we are all created in the image of God. We are created male and female. We are created to be to be in relationship, like the three persons of the Holy Trinity — God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are in communion with each other. 

The Most Holy Trinity is an eternal exchange of life-giving love and marriage is a metaphor for this love. It is also a participation in it. Like all sacraments, Matrimony draws husbands and wives more deeply into the Trinitarian life of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit” (CCC, 2205).

God has designed man and woman to complement each other in marriage. He has created each with distinctive traits. In today’s culture, there is a blurring of what constitutes male and female. God created man and woman for each other, a union of complementarity. Let’s look at some of the distinctive features of the human person, created by God as male and female[1].

Men and women are created equal in dignity but could not be more different in substance and traits. God designed man and woman to be complementary in their roles as husband and wife, father and mother. Children need all of these traits in a family. God in His infinite wisdom designed it this way. Embrace each other’s uniqueness and celebrate the wonderful gift husband and wife are to each other in marriage.

[1] National Organization of Marriage, Answering the Science Deniers: Men and Women are different. Period., (Washington D.C.: National Organization of Marriage, 2019).