Theology of the Body 2012/11/13

Once more, I should point out that this series of posts titled "Theology of the Body" presents excerpts from Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in Simple Language, an adaptation made by Sam Torode and published by Philokalia Press. I recommend occasionally reviewing the series, which began in 2010, since my postings are not frequent enough to keep the whole thread of the work clearly in mind. Or since I began the series in the middle of the book, you could go back to the post of December 18, 2011, which is where I start making excerpts from the beginning of the book. It's all under the label "Theology of the Body."

"Adam and Eve realized they were naked at exactly the point where they ceased to be completely selfless gifts for each other. And, for the first time, they were ashamed.

"The Fall radically changed the way man experiences the body. This change involved the interior forces of man — the heart, mind, and will. It also affected man's sensitivity to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Before the Fall, man was in complete communion with God; but sin separates us from him. We can see what a difference the Fall made by comparing our own experience with that of Adam and Eve as described in Genesis 2.

"When Jesus asked, 'Haven't you read that at the beginning the Creator "made them male and female"?' he directed us back to the mystery of creation. We must attempt to follow that direction, fully aware  of the gift of original innocence and how original sin separated us from that innocence. We are striving to understand the connection — made by Christ — between original innocence and our historical state after the Fall.

"We've tried to discern the original meaning of the body. We've seen how the body becomes a gift when it is given and accepted in freedom and innocence. This truth isn't relevant only to Adam and Eve before the Fall. It is central to God's design for the person and the body, both then and now. Sin has clouded our perception of the design, but it has not changed God's intent.

"In the beginning, man and woman were … given to each other by the Creator. This gift was not limited to the first couple, … but extends to the whole human family. Throughout all of history, the fundamental fact of human existence is that God 'made them male and female.'

"After the Fall, man lost his original grace, making it harder to see the nuptial meaning of the body. But the meaning of the gift remains inscribed in the depths of the human heart. Through the veil of shame, man must continually rediscover himself as the guardian of the gift. He must defend his body from being reduced to a mere object.

"By looking to the beginning, we can see more clearly who we are as persons, and how we should act. To make of ourselves a gift, and to accept others selflessly — this is the goal to which we should all aspire. For that reason, the nuptial meaning of the body is indispensable for knnowing who we are, who we were meant to be, and therefore how we should live in the world."

Theology of the Body 2012/11/04

"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.

Theology of the Body 2012/08/14

I'm continuing with excerpts from the book Pope John Paul II' Theology of the Body in Simple Language. In the light of my own opinions (here and here) and experience of nakedness, I think the section I have now come to is important for my own reflection and understanding, and perhaps for my readers to consider when they form their opinions about my thoughts and actions.

In my previous excerpts, the Pope raised the point that before the Fall Adam and Eve were naked in each other's presence without shame.

"Shame is … very complex …. [Some aspects of shame are] "fear for oneself in the presence of another … an instinctive need to be accepted and affirmed by the other … the longing for self-acceptance. Shame is a barrier between persons, but at the same time it seeks to draw them together.

"Shame — in particular, sexual modesty — plays an important role in the formation of society by affecting the relationship between the sexes [and, I expect, between same-sex-attracted members of the same sex]. It expresses the rules for the communion of persons, while also reminding us of our original solitude as individuals before God. But what does absence of shame mean in the state of original innocence?

"We often hear childhood described as a 'time of innocence.' But it would be misleading to compare Adam and Eve's situation with that of children. "The words of Genesis 2:25, 'they felt no shame.' don't express a lack of development, but a fullness. …Adam and Eve had a full understanding of the meaning of the body, bound up with their nakedness. When this fullness is lost, shame appears. What, then, is this understanding of the body and original nakedness?

"To answer this question, we have to remember man's original solitude — his aloneness among the other living creatures. This solitude, together with the creation of man as male and female, prepared the way for Adam and Eve's joyful discovery of their humanity. At the same time, this discovery was made possible by the body. The naked body was the visible source of this realization, which established their unity.

"The words of Genesis 2:25 … bring us inside the experience of Adam and Eve. This interior perspective is necessary to discover the fullness of interpersonal communication that allowed Adam and Eve to be naked but unashamed.

"… [I]n its original and deepest meaning, communication takes place between person, face to face. We communicate on the basis of our shared humanity.

"In light of communication, the body takes on an entirely new meaning, beyond the exterior. It concretely expresses our interior selves. [Emphasis added.] The body enables man and woman, right from the beginning, to communicate with each other as God created them to, in the fullness of a communion of persons.

"Original nakedness can only be understood in the context of this communion. The words 'they felt no shame' indicate an original depth of understanding between persons. Adam and eve perfectly accepted each other, affirming each other's masculinity and femininity.

"This fullness of understanding, expressed by physical nakedness, prarllels our nakedness before God. 'Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account' (Heb. 4:13).

"Before the Fall, Adam and Eve were truly naked — revealed in all their simplicity and beauty before God and each other."

Theology of the Body — 2011/08/31

"In [1 Corinthians 12:18-25], Paul gives us a realistic description of the human body. It is not realistic because it is scientific, but because it resonates with truth.

"Science … can only describe the body as a physical object. It cannot describe the entire human person, who is expressed through the body and, in a sense, is the body. All of human culture — literature, visual art, sculpture, dancing, theatre, and so on — witness to the importance of the body in expressing the person.

…

"… Because of its divine creation and redemption, the body is worthy of honor. At the same time, this body belongs to sinful men and women. When Paul writes of its 'unpresentable parts,' we remember the shame experienced by the first human beings as a result of sin. That shame reminds us of our original innocence.

"The sexual parts of the body are not unpresentable because of any dishonor. They are only unpresentable because of shame and lust — the fruits of sin.

"At the same time, shame has a positive aspect, encouraging respect for the body. 'The parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty.' Though shame was a result of sin, it can help us overcome sin through self-control.

"Before sin, Adam and Eve … were naked and felt no shame. This harmony was part of God's original plan for the body.

"The disorder we feel in our bodies is a result of sin. … Paul urges us to restore order. How? By controlling our bodies with holiness and honor. Harmony in the body springs from harmony in the heart.

"Purity of heart allowed Adam and Eve to enjoy each other in fullness and simplicity. With sin came shame and lust. But hope is not lost. Through Christ's redemptive power, the heart can gradually gain victory over lust. Victory is not only possible — it is necessary. …"


A reminder: These posts on Theology of the Body are excerpts from Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in Simple Language, an adaptation and condensation of his massive series of talks on the subject at his Wednesday general audiences.

Theology of the Body — 2010/3/26

     "In the state of innocence, absolute trust prevailed…. Afterwards, shame took its place.
     "After describing the first sin, Genesis 3 records God's words to fallen man.…
     "… God describes how woman will relate to man in the state of sinfulness: 'Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.' (Gen. 3:16). These words describe a fundamental violation of God's original plan…. His original plan was for man and woman to find happiness in giving themselves fully to each other. This joyful self-giving was to be fully expressed in both body and soul….
     "The words of Genesis 3:16 seem to foretell how God's original, beautiful plan for sexual union will be distorted in man's heart by lust. Sin broke the original communion…. Their sexuality — which was intended for union — became a point of divisiion.…
     "… Every person is called from eternity to exist in communion. Sin… added a new, destructive element to sexuality — lust.
     …
     "…The 'rule' of man over woman is a distortion of God's original plan for the communion of persons. Because of the man's 'rule,' the woman appears in his eyes as a lesser entity, an object to be desired by the lust of the eyes.
     "Lust is a barrier to unity. It keeps men and women from experiencing sexual union as a pure, self-giving communion of persons. This is the root of sexual shame."




Note: John Paul II speaks of man and woman, and he believes that it is only the self-giving union of man and woman that can fulfill God's plan. But even if you disagree, I think the words about lust as a distortion of sexual union as a communion of persons can be applied to all sexuality.

Theology of the Body — 2010/3/23

Continuing with excerpts from "Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in Simple Language" —

     "Sexual shame causes us to doubt whether the body is still capable of forming the true, self-giving communion that God intended. Of course, Adam and Eve did not stop communicating to each other through body language — movements, gestures, and expressions. But the simple, direct communication of mutual nakedness had disappeared.…
     "…This is the second discovery of sex for Adam and Eve. It is radically different from the first discovery, the joy of which was expressed in Adam's song:
          This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman' for she was taken out of man. (Gen. 2:23
     "Here, we see the difference the man of original innocence and the man of lust. In the state of original innocence, the masculine and feminine bodies were the basis of the communion of persons. In the state of sinfulness, sexuality seems to be an obstacle to unity — a cause for fear and mistrust.… [T]he body must be covered and guarded. The gift is now limited.
     "Shame is a symptom of our separation from the selfless love whoch is 'of the Father' (1 Jn. 2:15).  Lust is the disease that keeps us from experiencing the body as gift."

Theology of the Body — 2010/3/20

     "Shame centers on those parts of the body that … allow two persons to become 'one flesh.' Instead of a spiritual/physical unity revealing the image of God, the body now seems to be [merely] a physical object. This is the origin of lust.
     "Man is ashamed of his body because of lust. The body itself is not shameful, but the law of lust operating within the body is. By treating the body as an object, lust misuses the original gift of the body and sexuality.
     "Shame reveals the threat posed to the person by lust. In covering those parts of the body that reveal our sexuality, modesty is a defense mechanism against lust. Ever since sin entered the world, human beings have covered the body to preserve its value.
     "Though lust has ruptured the unity of spirit and body, it hasn't entirely won the day. Shame reveals that the memory of our innocence is still alive."

Theology of the Body — 2010/3/16

     "The shame felt by Adam and Eve before their Creator could be called 'cosmic shame.' But their sin also gave rise to human shame between Adam and Eve.
     "In the fulness of creation Adam mirrored God not only by himself but in his communion with Eve. When shame disrupted their communion, Adam and Eve were compelled to hide their nakedness from each other.
     "… Adam becomes conscious of having a body. What once was light, aglow with the spirit, transparently revealing the image of God, now seems heavy and burdensome.
     …
     "… The 'man of lust' does not control his body with ease and naturalness, as the man of original innocence did. Self-control is essential to the moral integrity of human beings. Lust attacks the person at his core by throwing body and spirit out of balance.
     "Shame between persons is connected with this imbalance. It is especially highlighted in the area of sexuality. We see this in Genesis 3:7, when Adam and Eve cover the parts of their bodies that specifically reveal their sexuality."