The Scriptures, and the teaching of Pope John Paul II, are full of evidence that our bodies are not evil—rather they are the very means by which we encounter the living God. Catholicism is founded on the Incarnation of the Son of God—he became flesh, taking on a body like ours, that we might “become partakers of his divine nature.” Christopher West explores this truth that is perhaps so contrary to our customary view of the body, with a focus on the interpersonal communion that our bodies—and God himself—call us to.

The Scandal of the Body

In the last column we spoke of the Holy Father’s statement that the human body and it alone is capable of making God’s mystery visible. This is difficult for many people to swallow.  How could something so “earthy” be meant to reveal something so heavenly?

Let’s not forget that central to our faith is the stunning belief in the embodiment of God: the Word made flesh (see Jn 1:14). According to Christ, this is something we must swallow—quite literally—if we are ever to have life in us (see Jn 6:53).

Thus, it shouldn’t strike us as odd that John Paul II speaks of a theology of the body. As he puts it: “Through the fact that the Word of God became flesh, the body entered theology ... through the main door” (General Audience April 2, 1980).

God is invisible, intangible. Yet St. John can proclaim that it’s that “which we have heard,” that “which we have seen with our eyes,” that “which we have touched with our hands” that we proclaim to you concerning the word of life. And that life was made visible (see 1 Jn 1-3). How? Through Christ’s human body.

Living a spiritual life does not mean we eschew the body. We must resist this ever-present temptation with utter determination. For the spirit that denies “Christ come in the flesh” is that of the anti-Christ (see 1 Jn 4:2-3).

A Sensual Religion

Far from eschewing the body, Catholicism is a very physical, sensual—dare I say sexual—religion—much more so than some kinds of piety might wish it to be. Indeed, when the real richness of Catholic ceremonies, symbols, and sacraments is unveiled, it often scandalizes people.

For instance, have you ever noticed the symbolism of the blessing of the baptismal waters at the Easter Vigil? As one priest I’ve read about describes it, “Oh, that erotic rite!” Here, at the highlight of the most solemn liturgy of the year, the Easter candle is plunged in and out of the baptismal font as a symbol of Christ impregnating the womb of the Church from which many children will be “born again.” I’m not making this up!

In fact, Catholicism sees the whole relationship between God and Man in quasi-sexual terms.  John Paul II describes the Eucharist as “the sacrament of the Bridegroom and the Bride” (Mulieris Dignitatem, n. 26). This “one flesh” communion of a husband and wife (Christ and the Church) lies at the heart of our belief and worship. It’s the source and summit of our faith.

Furthermore, our creed is full of references to begetting, conception, and birth. The Scriptures, the liturgy, and the Hail Mary honor and praise “the womb that bore you and the breasts that you sucked” (Lk 11:27).

And ponder the fact that it’s through sensual, bodily realties (the sacraments) that we receive divine life: bathing the body with water; anointing the body with oil; laying on of hands; confessing with our lips; eating and drinking the body and blood of Christ; and, yes, the “one flesh” union of husband and wife.

The point here is that it’s not through some super-spiritual reality that we encounter God, but through the material world. Paraphrasing John Paul II: Through the Incarnation, matter becomes fully capable of putting us in touch with the Father. Christianity does not reject matter. In Christ, the body is considered in all its value. The body, through the mystery of the cross, is in the process of transfiguration, spiritualization (see Light of the East, n. 11).

Nuptial Reality

This means that the body is being divinized (being made divine). As the priest prays in the Liturgy of the Eucharist: “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.”

Oh glorious exchange! Oh wondrous nuptials! Through the Incarnation, Christ has wed Himself to our humanity so that we might be wed to His divinity. And we consummate this marriage, where else? In the Eucharist.

According to John Paul II, Christ has given us the gift of His body in the Eucharist so that we might understand the relationship between man and woman—our complementary differences and our call to communion. This relationship “is willed by God in both the mystery of creation and in the mystery of Redemption” (Mulieris Dignitatem, n. 26).

This means that all reality has a “nuptial character.” This means that in this visible world ultimate reality is revealed through the meaning of masculinity and femininity and our call to become “one flesh.” This means we can’t understand Christianity without understanding the meaning of our bodies, the meaning of our sexuality.

The theology of the body is not a matter of sexualizing Christianity. Nor is it a matter of Christianizing sexuality. It’s simply a matter of reflecting on our bodies as God created them to be—as signs that reveal his presence—and learning to read that “language of the body” in truth.

Adam and Eve knew and lived the truth of their bodies “in the beginning.” Thus, they beheld one another naked without shame (see Gen 2:25). This is what we, too, are called to in Christ. Yes, there’s real power in Christ to behold, understand, and experience the body as God created it to be.

Yet why do we find it so terribly difficult and uncomfortable to venture behind the fig leaves?

To be continued …

Copyright © 2000 Christopher West

Christopher West, M.T.S. works for Archbishop Chaput of Denver as an educator and advisor on issues of human sexuality, marriage, and family life and is the author of the book Good News About Sex & Marriage from Servant Publications.