Last week, I changed the lives of 36 engaged couples (most of whom are already sexually active) in seven hours. More accurately, God and I changed their lives through Pope St.
Last week, I changed the lives of 36 engaged couples (most of whom are already sexually active) in seven hours. More accurately, God and I changed their lives through Pope St. John Paul II’s theology of the body (TOB).[1]
What is it about TOB that reaches others, whether young or old, parent or student, married or single? I’d like to unpack that for those of you whose mission is “boots-on-the-ground”: parents, catechists, classroom teachers, diocesan officials, and anyone else who may need it. As a former Confirmation leader, RCIA director, and educator for over 25 years—and as a single woman with no children—I approach the theology of the body very differently from others. With this background and over 27 years of studying TOB, allow me to outline three very concrete, practical phrases that can help us teach the truth of the body in a pastorally loving way.
The Body Matters
Start teaching everybody by using this phrase: “the body matters.” For instance, let’s say you are teaching children in a catechetical setting, and they ask, “Why do we have to go to Mass?” or “Why do I have to eat well?” or “Why did God become human?” The answer: because the body matters!
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Mass is important because the body matters—your body, everybody’s body, and most importantly, Jesus’ Body matters! If we want to be close to God spiritually, we can start by being close to God physically. Jesus’ Eucharistic Body is received into your body; that’s why it is called Holy Communion: you are now intimately connected with God in Christ.
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Eating well is important since the body matters. Without healthy food, it is harder to function in life, and so it is harder to love others.
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The Son of God became human because the body matters. He knew humans are embodied persons, and since he wanted to save us, he too became embodied.
As St. John Paul II says, “Through the fact that the Word of God became flesh, the body entered theology . . . through the main door” (TOB 23:4). In other words, the body matters.
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[1] Pope John Paul II, Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body, trans. Michael Waldstein (Pauline, 2006), cited in text by catechesis number and paragraph as TOB.
[2] Joseph Ratzinger, Theology of the Liturgy, Joseph Ratzinger: Collected Works (Ignatius Press, 2014), 158.
[3] The title of the last chapter of TOB is “He Gave Them the Law of Life as Their Inheritance.”
Art Credit: A painting of Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and young Jesus in the carpenter’s workshop, Dennis Jarvis, Flickr.com.
This article is from The Catechetical Review (Online Edition ISSN 2379-6324) and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of The Catechetical Review by contacting [email protected]
