John Paul II and the Theology
of the Body
 In
contemporary theology, the phrase "theology of the body"
refers to the restoration of a positive appreciation of sexuality
and a promotion of tenderness in the sexual relationship. John Paul
II is a teacher of this "theology of the body," which
will be one of the greatest hallmarks of his papacy. Even his contacts
with individuals, his action and gestures, demonstrate this "theology."
How frequently we have seen this tenderness in John Paul when he
takes a child in his arms, or embraces the young who approach him.
To a group of parishioners in Rome he said, "Pastoral
visits are a privileged moment because I can touch and embrace you!"
When John Paul speaks of love, he does not speak
only of a theology of the body, but of a theology of sex: "The
theology of the body becomes also, in a sense, a theology of sex,
or rather, a theology of masculinity and femininity" (Nov.
14, 1979).
Such a theology can help us understand "the
reason for and the consequences of the Creator’s decision
that the human being should always and only exist as a woman or
a man." The basis for that statement is the relational characteristic
of human beings which is expressed in the nuptial union, that is,
"in the capacity of the body to express love."
It finds its fulfillment in the union of masculinity
and femininity, thus forming a "unity of two" in which
nuptial love is fully expressed in sexual union as a "reciprocal
giving."
John Paul has constantly spoken on the theology
of the body throughout his pontificate: in his Letter to the
Youth of the World (1985); the apostolic letter, Mulieris
Dignitatem (1988), particularly chapters 3 and 4; the
Letter to Families (1994); his homily at the celebration
for the restoration of the Sistine Chapel (1994); and the Letter
to Women (1995).
John Paul II’s most beautiful tribute to
human love is contained in Mulieris
Dignitatem:
"In the biblical description, the words of
the first man at the sight of the woman who had been created are
words of admiration and enchantment, words that fill the whole history
of man on earth."
In his Letter
to Families, John Paul says that in using the image of "spouse"
in speaking of God, Jesus shows how much the fatherhood and love
of God are reflected in the love of a man and woman who are united
in matrimony. Prior to that, in Familiaris
Consortio (1981), he had pointed out that the biblical teaching
that God loves his people is reflected in the conjugal love of a
man and woman. And in Love and Responsibility he wrote: "Amor
concupiscentia [concupiscent love] is present even in man’s
love of God, whom man may and does desire as a good for himself."
In this context John Paul wrote in his Letter to the Youth of
the World:
Yes, through that love which is born in you—and
wishes to become a part of your whole plan of life—you must
see God who is love…. When Christ says "Follow me,"
his call can mean: " I call you to still another love";
but very often it means: "Follow me," follow me who am
the bridegroom of the Church who is my bride; come, you too become
the bridegroom of your bride; you too become the bride of your spouse….Christ
as spouse… "gave himself" and teaches all husbands
and wives how to give themselves in the full measure of each one’s
personal dignity. Christ teaches us married love. To set out on
the path of the married vocation means to learn married love day
by day, year by year; love according to soul and body (March 31,
1985).
But perhaps the following is John Paul’s
most compact statement on the theology of the body: "Male and
female he redeemed them."
This is the way the Pope interprets the "language
of the body," beginning with the perception that lovers have
of each other at the moment of their mutual giving to each other.
He explains that words of love spoken by the couple focus on the
body not only because in itself it is the source of reciprocal fascination,
but also and especially because that attraction for the other person,
the other "I," whether feminine or masculine, activates
the interior impulse of the heart that generates love.
This may be one of his greatest legacies to us.
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