Few concepts in Christianity are more misunderstood than obedience. Words such as submission, subject, and obedient can appear utterly incompatible with the fundamental equality that Jesus offers to us in baptism. Yet the Church has always taught that headship and obedience are fundamental aspects of marriage. When properly understood and lived out, obedience is, in fact, liberating. The Obedience Paradox illuminates the subject by examining the relationship between husband and wife in marriage as an image of Christ's relationship to the Church. Presenting the sexual complementarity of husband and wife as an expression of gift, this book probes the meaning and power of receptivity in a relationship. While marriage certainly involves mutual giving and receiving, a husband most authentically lives headship when he acts as a generous giver toward his wife. Correspondingly, a wife practices authentic obedience when she graciously receives her husband's self-gift. Understanding obedience as the free reception of a gift unveils its unique potential to make us even more free and to bring about deeper spiritual union between persons, both human and divine.