"The words of Jesus … reveal … what it means to be human. This 'theology of the body' provides a standard for all persons at all times. …
"The Creator gives us all a task: to declare, through the body, the dignity of the person. The body … bears the sign of the gift. Our task is to fulfill that sign by truly becoming a gift.
"The theology of the body is the most suitable education in being human. In modern times, science has taught us a great deal about the workings of the body. But it cannot tell us anything about the body as a manifestation of the human spirit, a sign of the person. By ignoring the spirit, or denying its existence, science treats the body as an object to be manipulated. This aggravates the rupture brought on by the Fall, alienating body from spirit.
"What is needed is an integrated view of man as a spiritual, embodied being. For that, we must turn to Scripture. The theology of the body is a 'spirituality of the body,' leading us, through spiritual maturity, to a richer experience of the body. As a man or woman matures spiritually, his or her body becomes more clearly what it was meant to be — a sign of the person, an expression of the spirit.
"Lust doesn't reveal the body — it obscures it. Similarly, science, when it reduces the body to an object, only clouds our understanding. … Only when it is accompanied by spiritual maturity can biological knowledge of the body point towards its true meaning.
"This is why we should prudently consider the teachings of the Church about the human body [in statements such as 'The Dignity of Marriage and the Family' in Gaudium et Spes (The Church in the Modern World), Part II, chapter 1, and the encyclical Humanæ Vitæ]. To be properly understood, these documents cannot be considered apart from Scripture or the Gospel. They must be read in the light of a 'total vision of man,' which is what the theology of the body provides.
"Today, the Church continues to speak out against divorce, polygamy, lust, and the mistreatment of women. In doing so, the Church echoes Christ's teachings on the sanctity of marriage and purity ofheart, calling all to faithfulness."
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