The Theology of the Body

In my last post I talked about what I understood as the legacy, or triptych, of Pope John Paul II.  I am now going to use the next three posts to discuss each panel of the triptych in a little more detail; beginning with today's topic the Theology of the Body.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Theology of the Body I am sure you are asking "what is this Theology of the Body?" and the best definition I can have is from Christopher West who says that 

"Theology of the Body is the working title that John Paul II gave to the first major teaching project of his pntificate.  Delivered over the course of 129 Wednesday Audiences between September 5, 1979 and Nov 28, 1984, these catechetical addresses present as in-depth biblical reflection on the meaning of human embodiment, particularly as it concerns our creation as male and female and the call of the two to become 'one flesh.'" - Christopher West

 This is a technical definition of what it is but it is too academic and does not get to what I feel is the heart of the Theology of the Body.  I think it is important to know the technical definition because it gives a clear facts about what the Theology of the Body is.  However, for the rest of this post I will be sharing my personal understanding of the Theology of the Body.

I came across the Theology of the Body in high school when I was searching for my purpose in life.  I was at the point where I needed to decide a direction for my life to take; whether I wanted to go to college, university, or work at home on the family farm.  The Theology of the Body provided the answers to a lot of my questions.  It taught me what it means to be a human; how we are different from the animals and the pinnacle of all creation.  It taught me that to find fulfillment in life I needed to live in service to others.  It taught me about the gift of my masculinity; the creative strength of men which is meant to be used to help women and children.  It taught me that I can only find myself by giving myself away.

Before you can decide what you want to do in life you need to know who you are.  Theology of the Body helped me discover who I am and from that knowledge flowed my purpose.  Please don't misunderstand me, I don't have everything figured out.  I still have problems, I still make mistakes, I just have a clearer picture of what I am meant to do in life; the trouble is I don't always choose to live according to my purpose.

I cannot possible outline the whole teaching of Theology of the Body in one post but I hope this gives you some understanding of what it is about.  If you have questions about what it means to be a man or a woman.  Or why you exist. Or why you have those deep desires of your heart.  Or what the desires of your heart are pointing you towards then I encourage you to learn more about the Theology of the Body.  Do not start with John Paul II's writings unless you are an academic because they are dense.  The best place to start, I think, is Christopher West's book entitled "Theology of the Body for Beginners."  So if you are at all interested in Theology of the Body please get your hands on a copy of this book.  Christopher West is a much better writer than I am and he can provide you with a better understanding of what Theology of the Body is all about.  For those of you who are not readers check out these YouTube videos that explain some aspects of the Theology of the Body.