A re-reading of the Theology of the Body in Bl. John
Paul II
One of the greatest contributions of Bl. John Paul
II to the field of theology was his exposition of the theology of the body. In
a world torn apart by two diametrically opposed trends - a Manichaeistic
oriented suppressed negative theology of
the body of the Christian traditional teaching together with a quite
misunderstood moral teachings of ‘Humanae Vitae’ by Pope Paul VI on one hand
and the over exposed, idolized ‘eros’ oriented post-modern theology of the body
of the present era on the other- the church had to come out with a balanced,
scripturally oriented, theology of the body that makes justice to the life and
dignity of the human person. A pope and a pastor known for his great themes on
humanity in his entire writing career such as freedom, gift, communion, truth,
dignity, love and person, expounds once again in his unique style, during his
Wednesday’s public audiences what we popularly call the “theology of the body.”
In these reflections the Pope demonstrates the importance of the physical body
and human sexuality as a whole. Falling back on the foundations of scripture
and Christian tradition, en-filling it with his own mystical insights, the pope
re-lives the trodden path of human person in the creative vision of God and the
ecstatic beauty of the nakedness of man in his solitude and companionship, the
cause of shame and degradation and subsequent homelessness as a consequence of
sin and the path of returning home through a life of the purity of heart and the gift of faith
reassured to us in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this article we follow
the path trodden by Pope John Paul II in his exposition of the theology of the
body and investigate the relevance of his teaching to the world of today.