The “Theology of the Body” is a series of lectures delivered by St. John Paul II during the first five years of his office as Pope. Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body aimed to show us how our bodies have the ability to reveal a greater understanding of the nature and love of God. In other words, it is a study of God (Theology) through the human body: Theology of the Body.
For example, we understand the Christian God to be Triune. There are three persons but only one God. This is a mystery and an extremely confusing concept. It gets even more confusing when we discuss the nature of each person. There is the Father – who loves the Son. He offers himself as a gift to the Son. The Son openly receives the gift of the Father and then offers himself back as a gift of love. This exchange of love between the Father and Son is so powerful and so real that it is another person. The Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity, is the bond of powerful love between the two. All three persons are so integrated, so unified, that they are one God and one family – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
If you are confused that’s okay. It’s a mystery that can never be fully understood. However, we have an image of this love stamped into our bodies to help us gain a greater understanding.
We see in the creation story, in Genesis 4:27,
“God created man in his image,
in the divine image he created them;
male and female he created them.”
– Genesis 4:27
I find it interesting that it is repeated three times over as if to say, “this is really important”. What’s more interesting is that the third time we see “male and female” is substituted for “in the divine image”. This tells us that something about the creation of male and female images the nature of God.
If we look at the nature of the sexual relationship between a man and woman, husband and wife, a man initiates a total gift of his self to the woman. The woman may choose to accept the gift and receive the man’s love and then give herself back as a total gift. The love between the two can be so powerful, so real, that in nine months their love can literally be another person. The life that comes forth from their union can be said to be the embodiment of their love and the bond between the two. And so they become family: father, mother and child. Three persons but one family. This shows us that ultimately, God is family and we are a small scale of image of the God family.
There is so much more to the Theology of the Body but this gives a great example of how understanding the purpose and meaning of our body can lead to a greater understanding of God. The Theology of the Body serves as a great foundation to understand Theology and Philosophy in general. At Thirsting for Truth we use the Theology of the Body like a lens to view the world and Catholicism. In that way, we have a much easier time giving context and meaning to other teachings of the Church.
For example, Ephesians 5:21-33 is often deemed controversial because it is a difficult passage to understand.
“Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body.
As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
So [also] husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.
‘For this reason a man shall leave [his] father and [his] mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.’This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband.”
At first, it sounds like the author, St. Paul, is telling husbands to dominate their wives and for wives to simply do whatever their husbands ask of them. I’ve known many people that have been angered and offended by this passage – specifically women – but it was only because they didn’t understand what it was saying. On the contrary, St. Paul is calling men and women to greatness in their marriage. Let’s first look at what he is calling husbands to do.
St. Paul tells men to love their wives as Christ loves the Church and as their own bodies. In what way did Christ love the Church? He sacrificed himself and gave up his life on the Cross. This is the challenge that man have – to sacrifice themselves for the good of their wives. Husbands are being called to lay down their lives – to the point of death – for the one that they love.
As for women, St. Paul urges them to be subordinate and to respect their husband. This should not be mistaken for inferiority to the man. St. Paul uses the imagery of Christ and the Church. Woman are the image of the Church and are called to be open to receive the love from their husbands. The Church fulfills its purpose by being open and receptive while Christ, as the head, gave himself entirely to redeem and sanctify his Church. St. Paul is not saying that men should dominate their wives. He is calling men to raise up their wives. This is just one example of how the Theology of the Body really helps us to understand what’s going on in Ephesians 5. It really gives greater context and meaning to that passage.
Our hope is that we can unpack things like this, using the lens of the Theology of the Body, in future meditations.
Questions for Discussion:
1) Have you ever heard of the Theology of the Body or is this brand new?
2) What do you think, or feel, the Church’s teachings are in regards to sex, marriage, and sexuality in general?
3) Do you think the Church attempts to suppress our desires for union and sex?
4) What is hard to understand about the Church’s teaching?
5) What are some questions you would like to see tackled in future meditations?