By:  Anastasia M. Northrop

Freedom, truth, gift, communion, dignity, love, person, meaning: these are all themes which are continually found throughout the writings of Pope John Paul II. They were there even before he became Pope. As Cardinal Karol Wojtyla he was influential in the writing of several documents from Vatican II, not the least of which was Gaudium et Spes – the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World – from which he never tires of quoting in his many encyclicals and apostolic letters.

“Man is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, [and he] cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.” (Gaudium et Spes 24)

How important it is to live our sexuality in a way which upholds and affirms the other person! Indeed, the true lover will never use another person or treat her as a means to an end.

We must first know the purpose of our existence and what we were created for if we are to live a fully meaningful life. Pope John Paul II explores the purpose of our existence in his Theology of the Body, which consists of 129 general Wednesday audiences delivered by him during the first five years of his pontificate.

Prior to his election as pope, John Paul II wrote a book, Love and Responsibility. In Love and Responsibility Karol Wojty a presents the Catholic Church’s teaching on love and sexuality in a way that makes sense to modern man.

Wojtyla stresses the dignity of the person and shows how important it is to live our sexuality in a way which upholds and affirms the other person. Indeed, the true lover will never use another person or treat her as a means to an end.

In his Theology of the Body John Paul II digs deep into the meaning of being a human person based on Scripture. As a person with a body and soul, made in the image and likeness of God, we find the meaning of life through finding out what it means to image God and what our bodies have to do with it.

We must first know the purpose of our existence and what we were created for if we are to live a fully meaningful life. Pope John Paul II explores the purpose of our existence in his Theology of the Body, which consists of 129 general Wednesday audiences delivered by him during the first  and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it.” (From the encyclical, Redemptor Hominis – “Redeemer of Man”)

The Human Body

What does the human body have to do with all of this? In a world which so often portrays the body as an object for one’s pleasure or as a machine which doesn’t have much to do with our spiritual side, John Paul II again seeks to present the truth as it is found in Scripture.

The body is not some little “add-on” to creation. Rather it is a vital part of who we are as human persons. Why? Because the physical body reveals the spiritual part of the person. For example, you can tell that someone is happy through the smile on his face. Happiness is not a physical, tangible, visible thing, so you need a physical sign to express it.

“Adam and Eve could see…they were called to  union and communion”

In the same way, Adam and Eve could see from the  difference in their physical bodies (remember that they were naked) that they were called to union and  communion — that they were called to LOVE, to give  themselves in a total gift to each other, both body and soul, in the most complete way possible for a human being, i.e. sexual union.

This physical union points to and expresses a deeper  spiritual union. In the same way that a smile is empty if one is not really happy, sexual union is empty without spiritual union. Not only does their physical communion point to an invisible communion between the man and woman, but it actually shows us that this love, this self-gift, is what we are called to, what we were created for.

John Paul II says that God created our bodies the way He did specifically to show us that we are called to love, that  five years of his pontificate.  Prior to his election as pope, John Paul II wrote a book, Love and Responsibility. In Love and Responsibility Karol Wojtyla presents the Catholic Church’s teaching on love and sexuality in a way that makes sense to modern man.

Wojtyla stresses the dignity of the person and shows how important it is to live our sexuality in a way which upholds and affirms the other person. Indeed, the true lover will never use another person or treat her as a means to an end.

In his Theology of the Body John Paul II digs deep into the meaning of being a human person based on Scripture. As a person with a body and soul, made in the image and likeness of God, we find the meaning of life through finding out what it means to image God and what our bodies have to do with it.

This physical union points to and expresses a deeper  spiritual union. In the same way that a smile is empty if  one is not really happy, sexual union is empty without  spiritual union. Not only does their physical communion  point to an invisible communion between the man and
woman, but it actually shows us that this love, this self-gift,  is what we are called to, what we were created for.

John Paul II says that God created our bodies the way He  did specifically to show us that we are called to love, that  our reason for existence is to love, to make a gift of  ourselves to others. He calls this the “nuptial (or spousal)  meaning of the body.”  He explains, “The human body includes right from the  beginning…the capacity of expressing love, that love in  which the person becomes a gift — and by means of this gift  — fulfills the meaning of his being and existence.” (TOB Jan 16,  1980) (This pope is not “down on sex”!)

“Through sexual union the body speaks a ‘language’  …this language must be spoken in truth” Perhaps even more surprisingly for some, John Paul II goes on to say that conjugal union itself is meant to be a sign of God’s desire for complete union with us (which is intimate, though not sexual). It is a sign of Christ’s love for his bride the Church.

Living the Theology of the Body

How crucial it is then, that couples live their relationships as they were intended to in order to accurately image to the world God’s eternal plan for mankind. St. Paul instructs, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her…” He then refers back to the beginning, as Christ does in the Gospels and says, “‘For  this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church.” (Eph. 5:25, 31-32)

John Paul II explains that through sexual union the body speaks a “language” and that this language must be spoken  in truth. Since the very nature of the conjugal act as designed  by God includes both the interpersonal union of the couple  as well as the potential for procreation, man and woman  cannot contracept their union without violating their dignity  as persons and the dignity of the conjugal act itself.

Because of his continual concern for what is truly worthy of  man, John Paul II uses the Theology of the Body to further  explain the reasons behind Pope Paul VI’s controversial encyclical on contraception, Humanae Vitae:  “Man and woman carry on in the language of the body that  dialogue which, according to Genesis 2:24,25, had its  beginning on the day of creation. This language of the body  is something more than mere sexual reaction. As authentic  language of the persons, it is subject to the demands of  truth, that is, to objective moral norms. Precisely on the  level of this language, man and woman reciprocally  express themselves in the most profound way possible to  them…Man and woman express themselves in the measure  of the whole truth of the human person.” (TOB Aug. 22, 1984)

“A Manner Truly Worthy of the Person”

If the procreative aspect of conjugal union is excluded, then  that truth of the person and of the act itself is destroyed.  On the outside it may look like the man and woman are  completely giving themselves to each other, but in reality  they are not since they refuse to accept everything about  the other, including his or her fertility. On the other hand,  exercising self-mastery and promoting respect for each  other and the conjugal act, couples are called to practice  responsible parenthood and in this way act in a manner  truly worthy of the person.

The other way of living out the self-gift to which each and  every human person is called is through the vocation of  celibacy. The celibate person shows the rest of the world  what we are ultimately called to and destined for in  heaven: complete union with God. Contrary to what many  people think, celibacy is not a repression of one’s sexuality.

Rather, celibate men and women are called to use their  sexual energy to make a gift of themselves to others in  different ways: in service, in evangelization and spiritual  parenthood, to name only a few.

John Paul II knows that living either calling is not easy. It  is not even possible without the grace of Christ’s  redemption. But, through the power of his death and  resurrection, living true purity of heart in relationships is  really possible, and not only possible, but necessary!
John Paul II is telling us we cannot let lust  weigh us down!

Christ does not condemn us but calls us to purity.  “[Man] is called precisely to that supreme value that is love.  He is called as a person in the truth of his humanity,  therefore also in the truth of his masculinity or femininity,  in the truth of his body. He is called in that truth which has  been his heritage from the beginning, the heritage of his  heart, which is deeper than the sinfulness inherited, deeper  than lust… The words of Christ, set in the whole reality of  creation and redemption, reactivate that deeper heritage  and give it real power in human life.” (TOB Oct. 29, 1980)

Christ appeals to our hearts and calls us to freely choose a  life that is in accord with our dignity as persons made in the  image and likeness of God! Only in living our true dignity
as men and women created in the image of God will we be  truly fulfilled, will we be happy in the deepest possible  sense, because this is the life that we were designed and  created to live from the beginning.

 

By: Judy Keane

With fan-fiction origins, E.L. James book, 50 Shades of Grey, has officially become the most widely sold book in Britain — ever. The book, the first in a trilogy, includes explicit scenes and heavy doses of bondage, dominance and sadism. Here in America, the originally self-published book still stands near the top of The New York Times Best Sellers List with international sales hitting more than 65 million in print and digital copies. So far, it’s been translated into 30 languages making its author, a British housewife and mother of two, a multi-millionaire overnight. With a fan-base of teenagers, college students, along with single and married women over 30 — the critically panned book series dubbed “Mommy Porn,” has launched the way into a largely untapped market of female erotica readers.

I have not read the book and don’t intend to read it. Wikipedia’s synopsis tells the story well enough despite its author’s description of it as an “old fashioned love story.” Plain and simple — it’s pornography. Originally titled “Master of the Universe,” the book, due to “reader demand” can now be found on a waiting list at many public libraries across the U.S. Its wide success has spawned 50 Shades of Grey theme parties, PDF’s, board games, a 50 Shades Album, 50 Shades — The Musical and soon, 50 Shades of Grey — the movie. The trilogy has even become the subject of a university class started this semester at American University.

What is most astounding and frankly disturbing, is the popularity of a book series which features a lead character, Christian Grey, who represents the antithesis of God’s designs for the nuptial (spousal) relationship, along with the utter lack of self-respect its female protagonist,Anastasia Steele, has for herself. Since when did a sadomasochistic, non-committal control freak who finds pleasure in physically demeaning, abusing and emotionally manipulating a naïve college girl become a literary hero of so many women?

As ubiquitous as 50 Shades of Grey is these days, I cannot help but think of the vast spiritual, moral, mental and emotional strides women could make (not only for themselves but also our culture as a whole), if they read Blessed John Paul II’s Theology of the Body instead — a series of 129 addresses he gave under the form of Wednesday Catechetical talks in Rome from 1979 until 1984.

As the first major teaching of his Pontificate, Theology of the Body (TOTB) is an extended Catechesis on the truth of God‘s original design for human sexuality and thus the dignity of the human person. As part of TOTB, JPII emphasizes how the dignity of the human person can be distorted through sin — such as pornography — and how it has been restored and renewed through the redemption of Jesus Christ. TOTB additionally focuses on Catholic teachings about the sacramentality of marriage, chastity/virginity, adultery, the resurrection of the body and contraception. The central theme of TOTB is that “the body” is a sign of the invisible mystery of God. In this sense, the body can be viewed as a kind of sacrament — with the mystery of God being revealed through it. Therefore, the body alone is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine.

However, in the case of 50 Shades of Grey, the complete opposite of personal and individual human dignity is presented. Instead, a twisted and false notion of love which reduces the human being to nothing more than an object is presented as something glamorous and dazzling. In reality, Anastasia ceases to have attraction as a person with her only value being a mere object of fantasy to be used for sexual pleasure. While women may feel the book is a harmless form of entertainment, Shades of Grey ultimately gives way to darkness leaving one on a path of deception. In other words, it belittles God’s gift of personhood and the body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit and we ultimately degrade and harm ourselves by reading it. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price.” (I Cor. 6:19-20)

Part of John Paul II’s TOTB explains that lust in its distorted various forms destroys the nuptial meaning of the body and the full awareness of the human being by making it only an article of attraction. Lust depersonalizes and degrades, thereby hindering mutual acceptance of the other as a unique gift and expression of God’s love. In this way, it debases the marriage covenant which constitutes the foundation of the “one-flesh” union. Having our best interests at heart, Christ wants to remove distorted notions of the human body from the nuptial relationship so that in purity of heart, the nuptial meaning of the body and the individual person shines in mutual self-giving within sacramental unity. Thus, true union comes in discovering the true value of the beloved.

John Paul II’s TOTB is not about being prudish — or about me sounding like the Church Lady from Saturday Night Live. Instead, it is about accepting the love that Christ wishes for the nuptial relationship — the type of love he created since the beginning of the world which he called “good” (Genesis 1:31).

Unfortunately, in 50 Shades of Grey, millions of women the world over are instead buying into 50 shades of deeply defective and distorted fabrications of what constitutes real and lasting love.

In his reflections on TOTB, Catholic apologist and founder of Totus Tuus Ministries, Jim Seghers, notes that “such twisted notions of love disconnects the body from personhood and becomes exploitive, selfish and violent, ultimately cheapening and belittling the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit.” When we accept the lie of Shades of Grey and all types of pornography, we are ultimately left unhappy, disillusioned, confused and denigrated. Why? Because we are seeking something that has been designed to prey upon our human weaknesses and draw us away from God. It then becomes harder for us to recognize ourselves as children of God and temples of the Holy Spirit.

Blessed John Paul II gave the world a great gift with his teachings on Theology of the Body which points the way out of the gray and into the light of God’s loving plan for humanity. Theology of the Body is about recognizing, even amid a culture saturated in distorted versions of love, JPII’s personal invitation to all men and women, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, to freely embrace our true dignity.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, “When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more noble her character, the more devoted she is to the truth, justice, and goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her. The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women.” If women would only then take a moment to pause and realize their great value and worth in the eyes of God, I wonder if a book series such as Shades of Grey would still be as popular. I doubt it!

Credit to Judy Keane of CatholicExchange.

By: Christopher West

In a recent washingtonpost.com article entitled “Catholic Girls Gone Wild?” (March 1, 2010),   Patrick Reilly, president and founder of The Cardinal Newman Society, reported a disturbing trend among women attending Catholic colleges.   It seems that statistics on the casual “hook up” — sex without any expectation of a relationship — are hiked up among women at Catholic campuses.

Reilly writes, “Researchers from Mississippi State University considered a survey of 1,000 college students nationwide and were surprised to find that ‘women attending colleges and universities affiliated with the Catholic Church are almost four times as likely to have participated in “hooking up” compared to women at secular schools.’”  Why should this be the case?   Broadening the question, why is it that so many young people raised in Catholic homes end up throwing their morals away when they reach college?   I’m sure there are many factors.   One large one, I believe, is the way many of these young people have been raised to think of the Catholic Faith, especially around the topics of human freedom and human sexuality.

Hitting the Right Notes

The Church has a glorious and incredibly joyful song to sing to the world about freedom and love (it’s called the Song of Songs!).   But, in my experience with Catholic audiences around the world, it’s easy to observe that few Catholics are “in tune” with this joyful song.   Understandably.   As anyone who attempts to sing with the Church can attest, it ain’t easy.   In our attempts to hit the notes, we often go sharp or flat.  On the “flat” side, countless Catholics were not raised with correct Catholic teaching at all, other than to scorn it perhaps.   They usually grow up embracing a “do what you will” moral relativism.   On the “sharp” side, however, a great many Catholics may have received “technically correct” teaching, but in a very dry, sterile, and imposing way.   The “flat” way promotes freedom without respect for truth.   But the “sharp” way promotes truth without respect for freedom.

Respect for the freedom of the person in religious and moral matters — by this we mean not imposing the good by force, but proposing it in its full beauty and inviting others to embrace it — is a key teaching of the Catholic Church (see “Freedom” in the index of the Catechism of the Catholic Church).   As I wrote in my book Theology of the Body Explained, “How often have children educated in the faith rejected it as adults because their teachers — whether parents, pastors, or others — tended to impose religion upon them without respect for and education in authentic human freedom? Freedom must be challenged to submit itself to truth, but no one can be forced to accept the truth without doing violence to the dignity of the person” (p. 57).

Respecting Freedom, Embracing Hope

In the case of raising children in the faith, it is certainly proper for parents to provide structures and rules for their children in helping them make moral decisions.   However, as Pope Benedict XVI makes clear, moral decisions “can never simply be made for us in advance by others — if that were the case, we would no longer be free.”   Moral well-being “can never be guaranteed simply through structures alone, however good they are.   Such structures are not only important, but necessary; yet they cannot and must not marginalize human freedom” (Saved in Hope 24).

Parents have the delicate task, especially in the teen years, of learning how to honor their children’s freedom — even when they choose wrongly.   As John Paul II stated, “people have a right to their liberties, even if they make mistakes in exercising them’” (cited by Weigel in Witness to Hope, p. 533).   When we impose the good without respect for and education in authentic freedom, we actually contribute to the dynamic of rebellion in our children that often leads to college “wildness.”   This is why the Pontifical Council for the Family calls parents to “recognize the fragment of truth that may be present in some forms of [their children’s] rebellion” (Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality 50).

Educating our children in the moral vision of the Church is not about imposing rules upon them.   If this is our approach, we shouldn’t be surprised to discover that when the cat’s away, the mice will play.   Rather, we should be teaching our children the full splendor of the Church’s love song.   When we do this, the Church’s teaching doesn’t need to be imposed.   We naturally long to join in the glorious music.