I鈥檓 talking about Theology of the Body, of course. God鱿鱼视频app gift of Theology of the Body, given to us through Pope John Paul II, was written to restore and deepen the true meaning and dignity of the body, sex, beauty, love, relationships and marriage.
There鱿鱼视频app an amazing essay by author Emily Stimpson Chapman, available for free for a limited time, entitled: 鈥淣o, You Can鈥檛 Skip To The Good Part鈥� (emilystimpsonchapman.substack.com.) Emily is an incredible writer, and she takes a hard look at what happens when John Paul II鱿鱼视频app life-changing Theology of the Body is not taught well, when only the 鈥済ood parts鈥� are cherry picked (the thrill of falling in love, the joy of happy marriages, the beauty of sex, etc.).
These truncated presentations of TOB are also an oversimplification of God鱿鱼视频app teachings on the body, human interactions, sexual morality, marriage. Instead, Theology of the Body is a comprehensive anthropology: What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be the freaks of the universe, uniting matter and spirit, the physical and spiritual like no other creature?
By limiting youths鈥� and adults鈥� exposure to TOB to a one-hour 鈥渃hastity talk鈥� once in their lives, or a little Natural Family Planning (NFP) for engaged couples 鈥� the message is sent that TOB is not a terribly broad or important tool, and these vital topics do not require much of our attention, let alone a lifelong struggle and learning curve鈥� with accompanying rewards. The idea can be embedded by faulty TOB training that if I simply abstain from sex till marriage, my married life will be permanently ecstatic. And if I practice Natural Family Planning, I will be in total control of every aspect of my future 鈥� childbearing and rearing will be a breeze.
As a long time presenter, I have found there can be a shallow kind of enthusiasm for TOB if it isn鈥檛 presented in its proper, much broader context (which isn鈥檛 always possible). Presenting a 鈥渉it and run鈥� talk can lead to folks simply trying to find a way to fit TOB into their pleasure-seeking ethos. However, there are also plenty of folks, young and old, who get that Theology of the Body goes deep and wide, who understand that the Cross is everywhere, even in the most delightful aspects of life. And the Cross is our salvation.
I鈥檝e heard even recent graduates from stellar Catholic universities were horrified at how 鈥渄ifficult鈥� marriage is. Others got supremely frustrated when NFP didn鈥檛 鈥渨ork.鈥� I think a main problem is the way we raise children to think that life is all about 鈥渂eing happy,鈥� or 鈥渨hatever makes you happy,鈥� and that negative emotions, being challenged by something difficult, or simply having a bad day is the worst possible thing that could happen to you, means something is terribly wrong and you need to pop some meds. Believers can even send the message that 鈥淕od wants you to be happy,鈥� without the full catechism exposition of 鈥渒nowing, loving, serving God,鈥� and the far superior 鈥渉appy with Him in the next life.鈥� We set young people up to fail, to be fragile, to trust and follow only their emotions, think only of this life, etc.
And sometimes we can forget that we鈥檙e not doing this short life on our own. Prayer, the sacraments, the practice of virtue, nobility of character, self-denial, enriching our knowledge and wisdom, combating our personality defects 鈥� with trust in God鱿鱼视频app help and strength 鈥� all go into the mix to make us, over time, fine, affable, nuanced, strong human beings, whether married or not. Life is not stasis. 鈥淢ay the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another鈥� 1 Thessalonians 3:12.
No, we can鈥檛 just skip to the good part, but we can get there with elbow grease and the grace of God.
(Sr. Burns, fsp, is a Daughter of St. Paul. She holds a Masters in Media Literacy Education and studied screenwriting at UCLA. HellBurns.com. Twitter: @srhelenaburns)