Monastery — Summer 2019

My summer visit to the monastery this year took place in two installments: June 23-25, and July 10-13. Since the days at the end of each stay are not complete periods of 24 hours, I was actually "on campus" for just over two days in June and three days in July. I wanted to be there on June 24 to celbrate the feast day of the birth of St. John the Baptist, who is my patron saint. In July, the important days were the 11th, which is the feast of St. Benedict, and the 13th, which is the feast of Emperor St. Henry II, who is the patron saint of Benedictine oblates, among whom I count myself. St. Henry's day is of such a low rank in the church calendar that no notice is taken of it in the official prayers, but it's still the day.

Big days like St. Benedict are observed not only in the prayers at Mass and during the other services but also with a festive dinner. In summer, weather permitting, it is held in the cloister quadrangle. The final prayer service of the day, compline, follows, and after that the monks go to the kitchen to store the leftovers and wash everything. I enjoy joining in.

If you've read some of my earlier posts, you know that the day generally begins and ends with prayer services (psalms, mostly) and during the day there is Mass and two other services, as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In between, there is a total of about nine hours when I can read and meditate on a spiritual book or two, read a "secular" book, glance through newspapers in the chapter room, take a nap, stroll around the campus, and take pictures. I can do more reading after compine until I go to bed.

During this visit, I only used two books: Wrestling with God, by Richard Rolheiser, which I had begun on my visit in December 2018, and Building a Bridge, by James Martin, S.J.

Benjamin Hettrick was made a novice on July 10 (before I got there) and given the name Celestine. Yes, he's named for Celestine the Benedictine monk who was elected pope and resigned after 5 months in office in 1294. It seems that Dante may have disapproved of the resignation and consigned him to the outer circle of Hell, but the Church disagreed and canonized him. Brother Celestine explained to me that he sees Pope St. Celestine as a good example of humility: he realized that he was unable to perform the duties of the papacy and so resigned for the good of the Church.

At one of the festive outdoor meals, I was sitting with the prior and the novice master. I told them about Fr. Christopher's insistence, some 40+ years ago, that nudity is not inherently "dirty." I then added that during hot weather, when I am alone at home, I enjoy "the Christopher privilege." The prior said, "Eww," and the novice master said, "Too much information."

I tried to post a couple of pictures, but couldn't get them to show. Maybe I'll try again sometime.

An Evening in Boston

Last Friday evening was the third on which the Harvard Musical Association had on of its "social evenings." I hadn't attended either of the first two, October 6 and 10, but went to this one. The music was played by a group called Cuarteto Latinoamericano. Before intermission they played pieces by Latin American composers. After intermission, with a second cellist added, they played a quintet by Schubert and, in response to enthusiastic applause, gave us the familiar Minuet by Boccherini — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFFh-HRNP48 — as an encore.

As usual, I went to Scollay Square restaurant for dinner before the concert. Wendy the waitress was there, which I hadn't expected, since she had indicated a while back that she wouldn't be there regularly on Fridays. But we enjoyed a chance to greet each other. I surprised her by ordering a white wine (Tussock Jumper sauvignon blanc, from New Zealand) with my main course of scallops. At home, I usually have white wine with fish and seafood, but I've somehow developed the habit of drinking red wine with everything when I'm eating at a restaurant.

I had arrived a bit later than the ideal time at the restaurant, and Wendy and I didn't get to talk other than the business of ordering my meal. I ended up arriving at the concert just as the quartet was beginning its second piece. The 20th Century Latin American music was good, but I enjoyed the part after intermission more. I didn't stay for the refreshments afterwards. As it was, I got home about 11:30. If I had stayed, it would have been after midnight.

The weather was unseasonably warm, and it was very pleasant walking from subway to restaurant, restaurant to HMA, and HMA to subway. It led me to reflect on how fortunate I've been to have a life which affords such enjoyable things. Further thoughts were that getting around when there is snow on the ground will be much less pleasant but that in conditions like that evening's it would be nice to be able to go naked, if only it were socially acceptable.

On the evenings before and after the one in Boston, I was at the yacht club. On Thursday, there was a end of season cocktail party for the Race Committee. A couple of prizes, each named for a deceased member of the committee, were awarded to people who had served in outstanding ways. There were also coffee mugs for members who had been on duty for more than ten days (which included me and my brother), and glasses for the remaining members. Several of us stayed for dinner after the party. After eating lots of hors d'oeuvres, I couldn't finish my dinner. The leftovers are still in my refrigerator. On Saturday, a group of committee members got together at the club for dinner again; and again I had some leftovers — some of my ribeye steak, which I had for lunch on Sunday.

This week, I'll be going to Boston twice, for an opera on Thursday evening, and the Boston Symphony Friday matinee. I'm not planning any restaurant meals, though.

A Visit from Mark

My friend Mark, whom I first met irl at a Red Sox game in 2009, visited here this week, and we went to another Red Sox game. It was my first since that one seven years ago. We had hit it off right away at that first game, so much so that after the game, neither of us  wanted to say god bye to the other. We just kept our conversation going.

For this visit Mark came by bus and then took the subway to the station nearest my home, where I met him shortly after 3:00 on Wednesday. We dropped off his things at my place and went shopping. Mark's a vegetarian so he bought some items such as soy milk and veggie burgers etc., while I bought various vegetables, some cheese, Stouffer's® frozen Mac and Cheese, a steak for my brother's Sunday dinner etc.

Back home, we took off our clothes and settled in for the evening. Dinner was cucumber salad and the Mac and Cheese. Then we watched the Red Sox on TV. Mark had gotten up very early and was tired and went to bed before the game was over.

I had bought tickets for the Red Sox game on Thursday (grandstand section 23 — a little to the third base side of home plate and toward the back). When I bought them a month or more ago, there was no way of knowing that it would be Alex Rodriguez's final game against the Red Sox, and the next to last of his career.

In the morning, after I went to Mass and did a couple of errands, including getting some brake fluid put in my car, we hung around in our birthday suits until it was time to go to Boston. We had supper at Bertucci's and headed to Fenway park. We took a bit too long at dinner and didn't get to our seats until the second inning.

The Boston fans enjoyed booing A-Rod every time he came to bat. Although I joined in, I thought it would be nice if he got a hit in his last at bat, and I cheered him when he came up for the last time. But he went hitless in the game. The Red Sox led in the early going, but the Yankees came from behind to win.

All in all, it was a very pleasant time, although the weather was very hot and humid.

On Friday, we hung out in the house until it was time for Mark to head in to Boston for his bus back home. It was a very nice visit — pleasant to be able to share nonsexual nudity with a friend and take in a Red Sox game for the first time since 2009. Mark left some veggie burgers, which I enjoyed on Saturday and Sunday. I hope we'll be able to have another visit next year.

2014 October in Review

Theater.  I start with this because the month started with it — and ended with it.

    On October 1, I went to the Huntington Theatre [sic] production of  "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." My brother joined me because I made the mistake of mentioning that I wanted to go, and he invited himself to come along. I don't know if he thinks every time I say I'm planning to buy a ticket it's an invitation to him, or if he's just pushy. Oh well, it didn't ruin the evening for me.

     The lead actor was Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo on "The Cosby Show." It was nicely performed; and since I never saw the movie, it also gave some questions to ponder. Do we rationalize our prejudices? Do we cooperate in, or at least accept as inevitable, out oppression. How easy is it for us to misjudge the motives of others? How far have we moved beyond the racism of 50 years ago?

     October 17 saw me attending Arts Emerson's presentation of a performance of Shakespeare's "King Lear" by a touring cast from Shakespeare's Globe in London (England). The accents sometimes got in the way of catching every word, especially when they shouted (but it was fun to notice that Gloucester used a different accent from the others). Since most of the actors played several roles, it was sometimes difficult to tell who was which character. But the general action was clear enough. I was surprised to realize that the wickedness of Regan and Goneril seems unmotivated, but on further thought, I guess Shakespeare didn't share the Enlightenment notion that people are naturally good, and so need a motive to do evil.

     A week later, it was back to Arts Emerson for a South African take on Mozart's "The Magic Flute," with the orchestra replaced by marimbas. The Tamino was good-looking, the Queen of the Night dispatched the "Revenge" aria with ease (maybe transposed down a notch or two), and a good time was had by all, myself included; but it wasn't as good as a normal performance in an opera house.

     On Hallowe'en I escaped trick-or-treaters and bookended the month with another Huntington Theatre [sic] show, "Ether Dome," about the discovery of general anæsthesia. It was a fascinating story of how a Hartford dentist realized that nitrous oxide (laughing gas blocked pain during surgery), but his demonstration at Mass General Hospital failed. Then his former assistant learned that sulphuric ether also worked and gave a successful demonstration. Reviewers suggested that the play was too complex to follow, but I didn't find it so. It was a fine introduction to some history about which all I had known was that the first demonstration of ether as a general anæsthetic had occurred at MGH in the mid 19th Century.


Symphony.  I attended four Boston Symphony concerts — on the 2nd, 21st, 23rd, and 30th of the month. You can read about them on my music blog. I was originally scheduled for the 16th, but exchanged for the 21st (same program) so I could join a dinner group at the yacht club. As for the music, I'll add to what's on the music blog that I found "The Miraculous Mandarin" on the 2nd an appropriately moody piece — one I wasn't very familiar with — the "German Requiem" on the 23rd very stirring, and the Schubert symphony on the 30th very satisfactorily performedÚ it's a piece I like but quite long, but it never got boring in this performance.


Etc.  At church we had a seminary professor deliver a series of four talks about St. Paul, his life, work, and letters. They took place on the Wednesday evenings from the 8th through the 29th. This professor has given series on other biblical topics twice a year for several years. He knows his material very well and can express it clearly and answer questions completely, so the talks are always worthwhile.

     The pastor of my parish has a number of people who bring Holy Communion on a regular basis to homebound members of the parish (as well as doing a lot himself). He asked me to take over for him with one man who lives near me. The man and his wife are originally from Ontario, but they've lived here for maybe 30 years. He's Catholic and she isn't. This is the first time he's asked me to do this, so I'm pleased to be included in that aspect of ministry. OTOH, I'm not very good at small talk, but I want to make the visits more than just walking in, giving Communion, and walking back out. Hopefully I'll get more comfortable with them as I get to know them better.

     I attended a "Convocation" on social justice on Saturday the 25th.  The keynote speaker gave a good talk about the place of teachings about social justice within the life of the Church. That was followed by a couple of panel discussions, also good. A highlight was when someone commented from the floor that some of her son's friends were kicked out of their homes when their parents learned that they were involved with a gang. his woman took them in and gave them guidance, and all but one or two managed to avoid trouble with the law and become law-abiding adults.

     On Sunday the 12th my brother and I went to the opening concert of the Handel and Haydn Society's 150th season. They called it "Baroque Fireworks," and, as the title suggests, it was all pretty lively — nothing very serious, but it was all fun listening. Here's another example of my brother inviting himself. I had been going to H&H concerts for a couple of years and at some point (maybe in one of the weekly calls from our kid brother in Tokyo) I mentioned that I was attending them. He said he'd like to join me, and I didn't have the heartlessness to tell him I'd rather go by myself. Again, as with the play, it's not awful having him join me, but I do like being free: either going by myself or choosing my companion. No doubt I'd feel differently if we were better friends. When I was a pre-teen I was always happy to be with him.

     It was my team's turn to cook for the soup kitchen on the 27th. Each member prepares three three-pound meatloaves, bakes eighteen potatoes, and supplies three bags of frozen corn. We drop them off at the home of the woman who coordinates our team, and she brings them to the soup kitchen. We do this on the fourth Monday of the even-numbered months.

     My table reading* since the end of August was Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, by Eric Metaxas. I finished it on October 30 (or more likely in the early hours of the 31st). It's a well written and quite complete account of the life of the pastor who wrote The Cost of Discipleship, coined or popularized the term "cheap grace," opposed Nazism, was peripherally involved in the plot(s) to kill Hitler, and was executed a few weeks before the defeat of Germany in WWII. It seems I'm doing a trilogy on the Nazi era. My next book was The Shadow of His Wings, by Gereon Goldmann, and now I've begun Jan Karski's Story of a Secret State. I'll have something to say about those two books when I report on November.

     The depressed guy I mentioned in the post about September didn't choose to join me at any of the theatrical or symphony events. But on Nov. 11, he called because I had added another event happening this Friday. We talked for a while, and there are some groups he's involved in, so it seems he's managing to keep active despite the depression. He did say that he'd continue to consider the events I mentioned to him.

     I guess that about covers the stuff that's worth mentioning. There were a few days when it was warm and humid enough to go naked for extended periods. As the drier air of winter comes along, it becomes less comfortable to be clothes-free, and I'm generally clothed from the time I get dressed to go to Mass until I got to bed.

* "Table reading" is reading a book when I am having dinner alone at home. The books for table reading are generally a bit more serious than my restaurant books. In the restaurant, you read before the first item arrives at your table and between courses, so you have to be able to break off whenever the waiter delivers something. At home, there is no time between courses: you take some food, read for a while, repeat. So you can keep going as long as you want in order to let the author make a point.

A Visit from Mark and Other Recent Things

     My friend Mark managed to get a few days off work and came for a visit. His bus arrived on Monday at 1:35 p.m., and departure was on Wednesday evening at 7:40.

     I met him at South Station in Boston, and we had lunch at a bar I'm the station — my first cuban sandwich ever. It was good, but I probably won't be having one every month.He had a vegetarian sandwich which he liked. When we got to my place, I checked the internet for a while. Eventually we got undressed and watched the Red Sox game on TV. Then Mark felt a little cold and "dressed for dinner." Dinner included pork cutlets, marsala style. Mark was tired, having had to get up early for the bus from Syracuse, and went to bed. I stayed up for several hours at my computer.

     The previous week, my Race Committee duties had taken me past Hammond Castle, which I had never visited despite having known of it for over 60 years. It occurred to me that Mark might like to go there too. Also on Cape Ann is a smaller building, Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House. It's near the retreat house on Eastern Point, Gloucester, where I've gone a couple of times; and I noticed it when I was walking around in the neighborhood. I'd wanted to see it sometime. Mark hadn't seen either place when he was working in Massachusetts and was interested in seeing them. We toured the castle on our own and found it quite impressive. At Beauport we arrived just in time to join a guided tour which was beginning. Although each room was in an early American style, each had a distinctive theme, and the explanations of the tour guide made it more interesting. Afterwards, we agreed that Beauport had been a little more interesting than Hammond Castle, although both are worth seeing.

     For lunch, we headed over to Essex for fried clams at Woodman's, the best known fried clam place in Massachusetts (and perhaps worldwide). They were founded in 1914, and they say their founder invented fried clams in 1916. The clams were quite good, but we were both surprised at the prices — although I must admit I haven't bought fried clams in ages, so I don't know how other places' prices compare. Neither of us had been to Woodman's before. So the whole excursion was a time of firsts for us both.

     Back at home, we got out of our clothes. I showed Mark some music videos I like. Later we settled in front of the TV for the Red Sox game. After the game, Mark felt a bit cold, so he got dressed. He expressed an interest in having some pasta with alfredo sauce, so I cooked some tricolor rotini and boiled some peas and combined them with some alfredo sauce. I also had some leftover london broil steak which I reheated for us.

     On Wednesday, there was another first for both of us: the New England Aquarium. There was a lot to be seen, but with limited time, we did not linger and read all the captions at each of the dozen or more varied habitat displays. The big tank was not as large as I had expected. Our overall conclusion was that it was good but somewhat of a disappointment. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind going back and spending more time at the small exhibits.

     Then we strolled around for a while and went to the nearby Legal Sea Foods for dinner. Mine was a shrimp, garlic, tomato, and mushroom combination which was large enough to be my dinner on Friday as well. We had left Mark's luggage (backpack and small bag) in my car at the subway station garage. So we had to go back and get them. I went back into Boston with Mark to be sure he would find the way to South Station. Once he was sure of the way, I headed home.

     Mark brought some zucchini bread which he had made, and we both enjoyed it from time to time. I had the last of it after he was gone. It was good by itself, and also with butter and cream cheese.

     It was a very nice visit. In addition to what I've mentioned, we had good conversations about current events and issues as well as about our own doings. If the weather had been warmer and more humid, Mark might have been naked a bit more, but it's not very important. I certainly don't want to pressure him or anybody to be naked, but I think it's nice that we're comfortable enough being naked and being around each other that we're able to indulge our mutual enjoyment of nudity when we feel like it.


     On Friday, I had Race Committee duty. Instead of being on the large "signal boat," I was assigned to duty on one of the mark boats, a 17 foot inflatable "rib craft." It bounced a lot on the waves and required more holding on to something to avoid falling down or being thrown overboard. Today my shoulders and knees are a little sore. I hope it hasn't hastened the approach of arthritis in my knees, which seems to run in my mother's family.

     Last evening I finished Writing on the Wall, by Tom Standage. It was a Christmas gift from my brother in Japan. Standage sees the internet as similar to earlier forms of communication and interaction such as the circular letters of ancient times, pamphlets, and coffeehouses. He contrasts those forms of two-way communication with the one-way forms such as newspapers, radio, and TV, and thinks the two-way forms are better.

A Night at the Theater & Miscellany

A Night at the Theater.
A week ago I went into Boston to attend the world premiere performance of Paris Commune by The Civilians at Arts Emerson.

Guy on the Subway.  On my way into the city, I noticed a guy on the platform with a shirt that was open down the side from the armpit to the bottom seam. When we got on  the train, he was seated opposite some friends at the far end of the car. After a few minutes, I noticed that the way the shirt was hanging, his small left nipple was exposed, along with an expanse of hairless chest above and below. I tried to avoid staring, but it was definitely an attractive sight.

The Play.  Arts Emerson had e-mailed some information about the Commune and about the play, so I arrived with some basic knowledge of what it was all about. But the show certainly added a lot. It was framed with references to a free concert that took place in the Tuileries Palace in May, 1871, on what happened to be the last night before the government troops began to retake the city. The fighting lasted a week, during which thousands of people were killed (including the Archbishop of Paris and several dozen priests killed by the Communards), and the Palace was one of many buildings that were burned down.

A couple of members of the governing council of the Commune were popular songwriters, and some of their songs were included. One of them wrote the words to "The Internationale," and it was included when the sow returned to the concert at the end — although an actor pointed out that it was not actually sung on that occasion. It was written some weeks later, and the tune was written later still.

All in all, it was an interesting evening — informative and thought-provoking. I wonder if the writers and actors were aware of the ironies at some points in the script as they pointed to the Russian, Chinese, and Cuban revolutions as successors to the Commune and also to the Tiananmen Square uprising as another successor, or when they spoke of East Germany's issuing a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Commune.


Miscellany.

Europe Does not Believe in Washcloths.  While I was traveling in Germany and France a couple of months ago, all three of the hotels I stayed in provided two bath towels, two hand towels, and a bath mat, but no washcloth. Apparently the Europeans just use their hands to wash themselves in the shower. It's tolerable, but a washcloth makes it easier to reach all areas of ones back, does a better job of scrubbing, and produces better suds. Here's an item where the Europeans are definitely lagging behind us Americans (or at least the hoteliers are).

More Cooking.  Last night I added a small roma tomato to my baked stuffed haddock (using my normal summer squash and mushrooms as well). Of course, I sprinkled dried basil on the tomato. The result was good, but not so much better than usual that I'd always want tomato as part of it.

BTW, one reason I like using bread crumbs is that the fish exudes some liquid as it cooks, and the crumbs absorb at least some of it. I've even begun to sprinkle some on salmon when I steam it, for the same reason — why let the salmon liquid drain into the water?

Change of Seasons.  Although last night was warm enough for me to enjoy some nude time on the back porch at about 2:00 a.m., I'm afraid summer is gone, and warm days and evenings are a bonus, rather than an expectation, until next year. Some trees are showing patches of red, orange, and yellow. Temperatures are generally 10°F cooler than at the beginning of the month. And the sailboat racing season is over, and the theater/concert season has begun (see above; also tonight I'll got to my first symphony concert of this season).

Although autumn has its own beauty, I prefer summer. I find the greens of summer even more beautiful than the colors of fall. I find the warmer weather more pleasant that the cool (and better for being naked). I like the color of light light as modified by the green trees, especially as the sun shines through them and then we have the late twilight and nightfall after the long days. And the cool days and bright colors of fall are the prelude to the bare trees, short days, and freezing temperatures of winter.

Possible Trip.  I've never been to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I understand it's worth seeing. My calendar is still pretty open from October 23 through 26, and, surprisingly (to me) my cousin is still there. So if I decide I can afford it after my earlier trip and surgery, I might pop up for a look-see. It will probably be chilly, and some seasonal attractions may be closed, but at least I'll get to see the city. OTOH, if I find that all the historic sites are closed, I'll probably hold off until next summer.

Health.  Since I linked my earlier post titled "Health," maybe I should update. The aftermath of the operation has gone very well. My new crown seems to be fine. And my weight seems to have stabilized, so there's apparently nothing to worry about.

Naked without Shame

My friend whom I call Zack (there are earlier posts;  check under the label "friend") came to visit me for a couple of days. First he went for dinner at the home of the mother of the man whose funeral we attended last October. He had been that man's personal care attendant, and friend, for five years. The mother invited me to join them as well, and we had a pleasant evening, with many reminiscences of the son/friend.

Then Zack and I came to my home. He had said that he thought he would be willing to go naked with me on this visit.  So when we got here I noted that he was in a "clothing optional" house, and we promptly removed our clothes and sat down, he on a sofa and I on a chair which faced in the same direction. We talked about the visit and dinner at his late friend's home, and I told of a cousin who seems to be comfortable with nudity.

The following evening (Tuesday) we went to Boston for dinner and an opera, and on Wednesday we went to the Cabot Street Cinema to see "The Artist." There were also a couple of errands to buy food, but most of the time we spent in the house, and most of that was in the nude. At first Zack seemed a little hesitant to be facing me while standing up, but by Wednesday morning he was completely comfortable with it, as I  had been from Monday evening.

The first thing I should note is that during the whole time he was here we did nothing sexual. There were  a couple of times when my thoughts (he's an attractive young man) led to a passing moment of beginning arousal, but they passed quickly. He told of something similar when I was telling him about my cousin. But there was nothing even remotely approaching sexual activity.

We talked a lot about the loss of his friend and about tangential matters, about regrets we had over times when each of us did things that we would like to be able to undo. We watched a Red Sox game on TV. I showed him my church.

But what was it like being naked with him? Well, as I said he's an attractive young man, but he's attractive with his clothes on, and I doubt I'd have felt any differently if we had been clothed the whole time. I will say though, that it was satisfying being able to be naked in front of a friend, to share my nudity with him and to know (because he was doing the same) that it wasn't freaking him out. I'm still "processing" the experience, though. What's the point of it? Is there some low-grade exhibitionism in wanting to be seen naked? Is there some low-grade voyeurism in wanting to see someone naked? How is this similar to or different from guys going skinny-dipping? To what extent is it just a matter of being happy to have a friend with whom I can share the enjoyment of nudity which I have had for some time?

Basically, I think it was a positive experience to be able to be naked without sex and without shame with a friend, and I hope there will be further opportunities for nudity with Zack, and even with others (thinking about that cousin, and a couple of straight friends). I think that each time it will be increasingly comfortable, and I am grateful for his visit, which ended Thursday morning, about 2 1/2 days after he got here.

Maybe, I'll have further thoughts about it to post here, or in response to any comments.

Theology of the Body — 2011/11/30

"The nude body has always been — and always will be — a favorite subject for artists from painters to poets. In Scripture, the nude body is as central subject of the Song of Songs. For Christians, if there is any question whether the naked body is a fit subject for art, the Song of Songs should put it to rest.

"So the question is not whether the body should be described, but how. In the plastic arts … the artist doesn't simply reproduce the model. He expresses his artistic idea about the subject. This gives form to his interior values. In order to give creative justice to the full truth of the body, the artist should be aware of that truth. In other words, an artist should be pure of heart.

"… Through the nude form, [great art] leads the viewer to glimpse the human spirit. Contemplating the human body in art, we are invited to ponder the dignity and beauty of man, in the full truth of masculinity and femininity.

"When the nude body is depicted with dignity … the viewer isn't drawn to 'look lustfully.' Instead, the nuptial meaning of the body is revealed in a way that inspires awe for its God-given glory.

"There are also artistic representations of the body … that offend human dignity. This is not the fault of the … body … but of the way in which it is depicted. To reduce the body to an object for the enjoyment of lust denigrates its true value.

"Artistic morality involves not just the artist but … the viewer, reader, or listener. Just as the responsible artist seeks to portray the human person in the fullness of truth, the responsible recipient strives to appreciate the nuptial meaning of the body depicted in the work. He is … an active seeker of the truth.

" …

"We should always live in a way that affirms the dignity of the body. This applies to all areas of life — personal, social, and cultural. The affirmation of the body is essential for fostering a healthy culture, one that leads the heart toward goodness, beauty, and truth."


This brings us to the end of the second part of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in Simple Language. I began this series of excerpts in March 2010 with the last chapter of Part I., "Body and Gift." From then on, I have been giving excerpts from Part II., "Purity of Heart" because I thought it would be more interesting to see the meaning of the theology for daily life. Now, rather that continuing on to Part III., "Heaven and Earth," I think it would be better to go back to the beginning of the book which gives the premises for what has appeared in Part II.


So my next post in this series will take us back to "The Beginning," which is the title of the first chapter. Meanwhile, if you want to review Part II., you can see all previous posts by clicking on the label "Theology of the Body."

Theology of the Body — 2011/11/08

"When the gift-giving meaning of the body is obscured, distorted, or misrepresented,art becomes a lie. This is what happens in pornography. The body … is depersonalized and turned into an object for lust.

"…. The so-called naturalists demand the right to reproduce 'everything that is human.' What others call pornography, they defend as a realistic depictionof humanity.

"But in the end, it is precisely this — the whole truth about man — that is lost when ; the body is reduced to an object for lust. In order to speak about true realism in art, the full truth about man as created in the image of God must be considered.

"… [T]he principles principles governing interpersonal relations still apply within the realm of art. The naked human body has a 'language.' It expresses the spirit. When given in trust and love, the body is the basis of a communion of persons. Because the naked human body has such importance, it must be depicted with great care to preserve its meaning in art.

"Only within certain boundaries can the truth about the body be preserved. In film, photography, and mass media, there is a dangerous tendency to separate the body from the person. Reproduced on paper or on screen, the naked body can cease to communicate the person. It often becomes, instead, an anonymous object.

"Because the glory and beauty of the human body is at stake, we cannot remain indifferent to culture. We do not oppose pornography out of a narrow, puritanical idea of morality. Nor do we oppose it out of a Manichaean fear or hatred of the body, as is often asserted. The exact opposite is true. We oppose pornography out of respect for the dignity of the body."

Theology of the Body — 2011/11/02

"The naked human body, in its full masculinity and femininity, has the meaning of a gift from person to person. This is the basis of all ethical guidelines regarding nakedness. The dignity of the person must always be upheld.

"In the husband/wife relationship, the nude body achieves the nuptial meaning through the sincere gift of self. But in art, the nude body takes on a different meaning. First, it becomes a model for the artist; then, once the art is complete, the body becomes a subject for the viewer.

"To an extent, objectifying the body is necessary in art. This raises a number fo problems, which multiply as the motives of artists and viewers are brought into question. These problems do not mean that the nude human body is an inappropriate subject for art — only that this is a complicated moral issue, not simply a matter of artistic taste.

"When sin entered the world, there arose, along with shame, a need for bodily privacy — especially between the sexes. Among sinful human beings, sexual privacy shields the gift from the gaze of lust. We don't just wear clothing to protect ourselves from the weather, but to guard our dignity. …

When the boundary of shame is crossed, nakedness becomes an insult. In the Nazi concentration camps, forced nakedness was used to depersonalize victims and strip them of their dignity. An analogous assault on the person occurs in pornography.

"In art, as in life, the right to privacy must be respected in order to preserve the gift-giving meaning of the body."


Comment: Here the focus is on artistic depictions of the human body. I'm wondering, though, about the implications of what he says about the basic meaning of the body and the naked body, for non-sexual nudity among persons who are not husband and wife. For example, what if children had been born before the Fall. Nudity would not have signified a gift of self between parents and children nor among siblings like that which exists between husband and wife. It seems to me that the phrase, "especially among the sexes," suggests that in situations where lust is neither intended nor experienced, nudity can be permissible.

Theology of the Body — 2011/10/23

The next few posts in this series present John Paul II's thoughts on nudity in art. I briefly summarized them in an earlier post giving some of my own thoughts on nudity, which I hope are consistent with his. I owe my acceptance of the legitimacy of non-lustful nudity to my learning of his opinions.


"As we have seen, many moral problems arise from reducing the body to an object, instead of reverencing it as a sign of the person. But what happens when the body becomes a subject of art?

"… Artists give expression to their experiences of the body[,] and others, in turn, encounnter the body through their art. Looking at a painting of a nude, for example, the viewer is aware of observing a body — not just paint on a canvas. For that reason, Christ's words about gazing lustfully have continued relevance within the sphere of culture.

"If purity of heart should guide how we relate to living bodies, it should also guide how we relate to depictions of the body … . We must pursue purity not only in our interactions with other people, but also in our interactions with works of art.

"In performance arts, such as theatre and ballet, the body becomes a work of art in itself. In the plastic arts, including sculpture and painting, the body is a model for representation. Film and photography lie somewhere in-between.

"Something different takes place in each medium, even though the subject (the body) is the same. In painting and sculpture, the body is a model, which is then transformed by the artist's vision. Film and photography, on the other hand, reproduce the actual form of a living person. This is an important distinction to make when considering ethical questions in art. …

"If the theology of the body is a true education in being human, how can we foster a cultural climate in which it will flourish? What is the role of art in encouraging purity of heart? Our [next] reflections will consider these questions."