"This now is bone of my bones..."

"...and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man."

Or..."Hey, lady! Where you been all my life!? Let's multiply and then we'll name the fishes and animals and trees and all the stuff God has made! But first, let's multiply!"

After the Fall, of course, everything changes.

Adam begins to lose his natural innocence and starts to says things like...

"Here, love, get us another beer from the fridge, would you? Its not half-time yet. [Burp]"

"Nag, nag, nag...That's all you ever do! Honestly! Wimmin!"

"Headache!? Headache!? You've got a headache!? You are a headache! My head's in a shed and its all because of you! I've been working in the garden, sweating my bollocks off all day and what do you do?! Nothing! Meanwhile, Cain's at Abel's throat all day and do you control him? No! You just sit there doing your hair, for God's sake!"

"You know when I said you you were bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh...Well, you're pissing me off so much I'm changing my mind."

"You're having an affair, aren't you?!"

"What do you mean you wouldn't sleep with me if I were the only man on Earth!? I am the only man on Earth!"

"Cain's slew Abel?! Great! That's just great! The world's first murder and its taken place in our family! My fault!? My fault!? You were the one who doted on Cain too much. Of course he developed a narcisstic personality disorder! Don't blame me! Anyway, you're the one who picked the flippin' apple in the first place! Oh, yes, you forget that don't you!? How convenient! Well, I haven't! I'm going out for a drive and I may not be back for quite a while!...Oops, forgot the keys [slam]..."

The idea of the original innocence of our first parents is rather hard to imagine, partly because we are a fragile-fallen-human-natured race inheriting the effects of Original Sin. We're only used to an imperfect and sinful World. Though the stain of Original Sin was washed away at our Baptism we still suffer the effects in our bodies and souls, in our thoughts, words, actions and omissions. Grace is often offered to us as well and often we refuse it stubbornly. No relationship is perfect, no love is perfect, no marriage is perfect, nobody is perfect and nothing is perfect.

Yet, we have been redeemed and not redeemed only but redeemed by Our Blessed Lord who so willed not only to die for our love but also to teach the World - to be the Teacher of Love, Love Incarnate, the God who unites man and woman in the Sacrament of Marriage, an indissoluble, God-made institution designed for man and woman's happiness, stablity and joy, both in this life and the next, so that they may live and love together in sickness and in health, to have children and raise them with wisdom and joy and to teach them God's ways and to love one another until death should part them and still love them with their prayers beyond the cruelty of the grave, as their spouse makes their ascent to Heaven. Every marriage will present trials but for God, everything is possible.

How many people are up for that, and I mean all of that, in the UK? Well, not that many, it would appear, and even the Government don't think its that great, but its always nice when people are, isn't it? I love a good wedding. Everyone does. But who really wants the Vows? Who really wants the Union in which the Priest proclaims, "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder?"

Whatever travesties may have befallen our first parents and the World after the Fall, we know that Adam was lonely and needed someone, a bit like that song by the 'Reverend' Al Green...and God provided...