|
What is the Theology of the Body? |
The 'Theology of the Body' is Pope John Paul II's integrated vision
of the human person - body, soul, and spirit. As he explains, the physical
human body has a specific meaning
and is capable of revealing answers regarding fundamental questions
about us and our lives:
-
Is there a real purpose
to life and if so, what is it?
-
Why were we created
male and female? Does it really matter if we are one sex or another?
-
Why were man and woman
called to communion from the beginning? What does the marital union
of a man and woman say to us about God and his plan for our lives?
-
What is the purpose
of the married and celibate vocations?
-
What exactly is "Love"?
-
Is it truly possible
to be pure of heart?
All of these questions and
many more are answered in Pope John Paul II's 129 Wednesday audiences,
which were given between the years 1979 and 1984. His reflections are
based on Scripture (especially the Gospels, St. Paul and the Book of Genesis),
and contain a vision of the human person truly worthy of man. John Paul
II discusses who man was in the beginning, who he is now (after original
sin), and who he will be in the age to come. He then applies this
message to the vocations of marriage and celibacy, in preparation
for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Lastly, this website is dedicated to the promotion of the Pope's revolutionary
and life-transforming message of hope that counteracts
societal trends which urge us to view the body as an object of pleasure
or as a machine for manipulation. John Paul II portrays a beautiful vision of sexuality in his Theology
of the Body and other earlier works including Love and Responsibility.
He encourages a true reverence for the gift of our sexuality and challenges
us to live it in a way worthy of our great dignity as human
persons. His theology is not only for young adults or married couples,
but for all ages and vocations since it sums up the true meaning of the human person.
"Brace
yourself! If we take in what the Holy Father is saying in his Theology
of the Body, we will never view ourselves, view others, view the Church,
the Sacraments, grace, God, heaven, marriage, the celibate vocation...we
will never view the world the same way again." -
Christopher West
|
|
