Theology of the Body
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The Theology of the Body, as it is commonly known, of John Paul II is a series of addresses given at the papal audiences nearly every Wednesday at the Vatican from September 1979 to November of 1984. These audiences are collected in the book, Man and Woman He Created Them – A Theology of the Body by Michael Waldstein.
Theology of the Body addresses some of the deepest desires of man’s heart: What is love? What is the meaning of my life? Who is God and what does that mean for my life? What is the purpose of human life? Why were we created male and female? What does the nuptial union of a man and woman say to us about God? What is the purpose of the married and celibate vocations? Is it truly possible to be pure of heart? And it offers an integrated vision of the human person.
In the Pro-life movement we need to see that Pro-life is a way of life and allow God's great vision for the fullness of life to pentrate every aspect of our existence. The Theology of the Body is an excellent source for opening up this vision.
"Pope John Paul II never tires of reiterating that each and every single human person is an image of God. Each and every one of us is a person called to act as God acts, to do what God does. Since God loves, all human beings are called to love in the same way that God loves. Thus, after creating Adam and Eve in His image and likeness, God invited them to "be fertile and multiply", i.e., to love each other as He loved them. (See Gen. 1:28.)
In loving each other, they formed a communion of persons, the first family. Since this first family was founded on an act of love similar to the love of God, the resulting communion of persons, the family, was an imitation of the communion of persons in the Trinity, Itself. Further, since Adam and Eve represent all human beings, their creation in God’s image is true for all of us. In addition, the invitation to form a family in imitation of the Trinity is directed to all of us. (Of course, not every one is called to marriage, but every one, without exception, belongs to a family.) In other words, not only are human beings created in God’s image, but when they act as they should, i.e., when they act like God and love as God loves, the resulting union is an imitation of the union of the Three Persons in God. This calling is an incredible blessing and gift to the human race, but it is also a challenge. We are all called to love as God loves, to imitate the very life and love of the Creator Himself.
The theology of the body begins its considerations with our creation in the image and likeness of God, body and soul, and demonstrates that our innate vocation (love) is inscribed in our very humanity because we are created as persons (as images of God), masculine and feminine with a dignity and value beyond compare.
The theology of the family also begins from our creation as images of God with our vocation to love as God loves. We are called by our very creation to imitate the love and communion of the Trinity. From this point of view, the overwhelming value of family life (as an imitation of the Trinity) becomes clear while violations against love (the sexual sins) desecrate the sacred love of husband and wife. Violations against love attack the family as an imitation of the Trinity and can almost be said to be sacrilegious, a violation of something sacred." 1
In his book, Witness to Hope, George Weigel suggests that John Paul II’s Theology of the Body is a “theological time bomb set to go off, with dramatic consequences, sometime in the third millennium of the Church.”2 In the prevalent Culture of Death, Theology of the Body shines a light and reveals the truth, the God-given, meaning of love and sexuality. Growing in understanding or these writings by John Paul II can bring a deeper individual conversion and shed light on the root problems facing the Pro-life movement.
Church Documents
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) :
Theology of the Body
Evangelium Vitae: The Gospel of Life (EV)
Donum Vitae: The Gift of Life (DV)
Humanae Vitae(HV)On-line Information, Books, and Brochures
Theology of the Body for Teens
General Audiences of Theology of the Body
- Organizations and Contacts -
- References -
http://www.nfpoutreach.org/hogan_new_vision.htm