Quote by C.S. Lewis

The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church - read on - and give his life for her (Eph. V, 25). This headship, then, is most fully embodied not in the husband we should all wish to be but in him whose marriage is most like a crucifixion; whose wife receives most and gives least, is most unworthy of him, is - in her own mere nature - lease lovable. For the Church has not beauty but what the Bride-groom gives her; he does not find, but makes her, lovely. The chrism of this terrible coronation is to be seen not in the joys of any man's marriage but in its sorrows, in the sickness and sufferings of a good wife or the faults of a bad one, in his unwearying (never paraded) care or his inexhaustible forgiveness: forgiveness, not acquiescence. As Christ sees in the flawed, proud, fanatical or lukewarm Church on earth that Bride who will one day be without spot or wrinkle, and labours to produce the latter, so the husband whose headship is Christ-like (and he is allowed no other sort) never despairs.

Summary

This quote highlights the Christian perspective on the role of husbands in marriage. It states that the husband's authority over his wife is comparable to Christ's relationship with the Church. Just as Christ selflessly sacrificed himself for the Church, husbands are encouraged to be self-sacrificing and willing to give their lives for their wives. The quote emphasizes that the true embodiment of this headship is found in husbands who display unwavering care, forgiveness, and commitment in the face of their wife's flaws, faults, and suffering. Similar to how Christ sees the potential of the imperfect Church to become perfect, a husband with Christ-like headship doesn't give up hope in his marriage.