"In Genesis we see the body as a gift, revealed in all its radiant purity — its 'nakedness.' In the state of original innocence, nakedness wasn't shameful. Nakedness becomes shameful when the woman is an object for the man, or the man an object for the woman.[*] Interior innocence kept Adam and Eve from reducing each other to the level of a mere object. They were united by their shared awareness of the body as a gift.
"When does the body cease to be a gift? When we turn it into an object, using it for self-gratification. This denial of the gift marks the end of innocence and the beginning of shame.
"In their nakedness, Adam and Eve gave of themselves and accepted each other. This exchange of the gift involved the whole of their being — their humanity, their masculinity and femininity, their bodies and souls.
"At this level, the giving and the receiving are so intertwined that there is almost no distinguishing between them. The two become one — it is difficult to know where giving stops and receiving begins.
"In the mystery of creation, the woman is brought to man as a gift. Thanks to original innocence, she is accepted by him as a person good in and of herself, not as an object. …Eve discovers herself and the meaning of her femininity …. because she's been accepted [by Adam] in the way the Creator meant her to be accepted.
"From the beginning, the woman was a gift for the man. She was entrusted to his eyes, his sensitivity, his heart. To complete the exchange of the gift, he must give himself to her in return.
"This mutual self-giving creates the communion of persons, enriching both the man and the woman. Love begets love."
[*] I'd add that it also becomes shameful when people regard others of the same sex as objects.
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