Introduction to the Theology of the Body
I'd like to offer my sincerest apologies for not posting this first, but for those who might be unfamiliar with the Theology of the Body, here is a brief summary of the teachings that Pope John Paul the Great conveyed through his teachings. You must keep in mind that this doesn't attempt to even begin to sum up what the Pope has given us in the Theology of the Body (TOB), but here is an effort to help lay some ground work to understanding the TOB.
So what is the Theology of the Body? Strictly speaking, it’s a series of 129 audiences given by Pope John Paul the Great during the beginning of his pontificate about human sexuality and what it means to be human. Less strictly, and more importantly, the theology of the body explains that through the nuptial meaning of the body, we can more fully know what it means to be human:
“It [the body] includes right from the beginning the nuptial attribute, that is, the capacity of expressing love, that love in which the man-person becomes a gift and - by means of this gift - fulfills the very meaning of his being and existence.” (audience of 1/16/80)
That sounds like a mouthful...through the nuptial meaning of the body, we can more fully know what it means to be human. So what does this mean, and why is it important?
The nuptial meaning of the body is the ability to convey love through our bodies, through our actions. We also know from the Book of Genesis, that we exist because God loved us into existence, and that the greatest commandments are to love God above all else and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:37,39). Thus, being human means loving God and others through our actions, or through our bodies. But, again, why is this important?
We live in a society that tells us that we need to do things for ourselves. Msgr. David Malloy (the General Secretary for the USCCB), on Sunday a few weeks ago, gave a part of his homily about how individualism builds nothing. As Catholics, we are called to live in communion with one another. More importantly, as persons, we are called to live in communion with others. The Theology of the Body delves into what it means to love one another and how to do that properly.
Only by really understanding what the Book of Genesis is talking about during the creation story, can we fully realize what it means to live in communion with others. By God creating man, both male and female (Gen. 1:27), He showed us that it is not good to be alone (Gen. 2:18). Adam didn’t find any other companions with the animals, but yet, he saw Eve as “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23). He could see more fully what it meant to be who he was. And he was thus called into relationship with Eve. They weren’t just two people living separately from each other in the same garden. “The two became one flesh.” They were joined together and so lived out the call to love one another through their actions. They lived out the love of God through their gift of self to one another.
Similarly, we see that Christ has called us to love one another and lay down our lives for each other. This is true love; this is what it means to exist. Following Christ’s example of a gift of self will truly lead us to a life of holiness and a life of union with God. Christ’s becoming flesh changed the course of history. No longer what love mearly a thought or an idea that could be hinted at, but love became a reality. The Word became flesh, and as the Holy Father Benedict XVI reiterarted the words of St. John the Beloved: “God is love.” Through the Incarnation, love became a physical reality, and through the Crucifixion, that love is lived out to its fullest. This is what we’re called to; this is what it means to be human.
So as we go on in our daily lives, we need to make sure that we are living this life of love; that we are really being men of God. And there is no better way to learn how to do this than in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I can’t say it enough. Why not learn about the TOB in front of the best place possible: our Lord Himself in the Most Holy Eucharist, and what better way than through participating in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
In learning about the TOB, I encourage you to spend time with the Lord, and learn from the Master what love really is. “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). The Lord has the answer, and if we really want to know what it means to exist, then we’ll find no better example than in the Lord Himself.
So what is the Theology of the Body? Strictly speaking, it’s a series of 129 audiences given by Pope John Paul the Great during the beginning of his pontificate about human sexuality and what it means to be human. Less strictly, and more importantly, the theology of the body explains that through the nuptial meaning of the body, we can more fully know what it means to be human:
“It [the body] includes right from the beginning the nuptial attribute, that is, the capacity of expressing love, that love in which the man-person becomes a gift and - by means of this gift - fulfills the very meaning of his being and existence.” (audience of 1/16/80)
That sounds like a mouthful...through the nuptial meaning of the body, we can more fully know what it means to be human. So what does this mean, and why is it important?
The nuptial meaning of the body is the ability to convey love through our bodies, through our actions. We also know from the Book of Genesis, that we exist because God loved us into existence, and that the greatest commandments are to love God above all else and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:37,39). Thus, being human means loving God and others through our actions, or through our bodies. But, again, why is this important?
We live in a society that tells us that we need to do things for ourselves. Msgr. David Malloy (the General Secretary for the USCCB), on Sunday a few weeks ago, gave a part of his homily about how individualism builds nothing. As Catholics, we are called to live in communion with one another. More importantly, as persons, we are called to live in communion with others. The Theology of the Body delves into what it means to love one another and how to do that properly.
Only by really understanding what the Book of Genesis is talking about during the creation story, can we fully realize what it means to live in communion with others. By God creating man, both male and female (Gen. 1:27), He showed us that it is not good to be alone (Gen. 2:18). Adam didn’t find any other companions with the animals, but yet, he saw Eve as “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23). He could see more fully what it meant to be who he was. And he was thus called into relationship with Eve. They weren’t just two people living separately from each other in the same garden. “The two became one flesh.” They were joined together and so lived out the call to love one another through their actions. They lived out the love of God through their gift of self to one another.
Similarly, we see that Christ has called us to love one another and lay down our lives for each other. This is true love; this is what it means to exist. Following Christ’s example of a gift of self will truly lead us to a life of holiness and a life of union with God. Christ’s becoming flesh changed the course of history. No longer what love mearly a thought or an idea that could be hinted at, but love became a reality. The Word became flesh, and as the Holy Father Benedict XVI reiterarted the words of St. John the Beloved: “God is love.” Through the Incarnation, love became a physical reality, and through the Crucifixion, that love is lived out to its fullest. This is what we’re called to; this is what it means to be human.
So as we go on in our daily lives, we need to make sure that we are living this life of love; that we are really being men of God. And there is no better way to learn how to do this than in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I can’t say it enough. Why not learn about the TOB in front of the best place possible: our Lord Himself in the Most Holy Eucharist, and what better way than through participating in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
In learning about the TOB, I encourage you to spend time with the Lord, and learn from the Master what love really is. “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). The Lord has the answer, and if we really want to know what it means to exist, then we’ll find no better example than in the Lord Himself.
Labels: General TOB
posted by Matthaeus Evangelista at 10:43 PM
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