Theology of the Body Analysis

Miguel Veneracion                                                                       GREATWK A57

11424168                                                                                      January 31 2018

Theology of the Body

The book discredits the notion of the norms that people have been accustomed to as it provokes a counter sexual revolution. Pope John Paul II dictates numerous inquiries about subjects that have been adept in the teaching of the church for a very long time, but suddenly shreds these teachings through the book’s beauty and grandeur of an authentic Catholic understanding of sex. The church today faces a crisis on sexual nature as not many discuss the erotic nature of man due to the taboo and lack of understanding of the said topic. As one can see, many families that claim to be religious or practice religion in their day-to-day life also avoid the discussion and simply advice to set aside these feelings to be an upstanding Christian. This caused people to be confused with what they are supposed to do with their sexual desires. However, based on the teachings written in the book, sexual desire was built and instilled within mankind upon creation.

The negative understanding can be credited to the pornographic culture that the current generation has created to distort and connote an adverse meaning to humankind’s erotic nature. The book, of course removes all biases that comes with the nature of human sexual desire. The paradigm shift in the book gives a better understanding as to what human sexuality is and gives more emphasis as how it should be handled and understood as it considers the bodies of men and women through the visions of St. John Paul II regarding the mystery of love leading from the Trinity through Christ’s spousal relationship with the Church. The book also tackles the insight of the author regarding the “split” of the person and the body was given with an integral image of the human person rooted from the Sacred Scripture and the Church’s living tradition.

The book discusses many controversial issues such as the need of both men and women to be satisfied thus causing them to relate a misunderstood concept to something finite. This process becomes something humans cling to, the most common human behavior is to repeat something that satisfies them to a point it does not become a fulfillment but becomes an addiction. Maybe, this has something to do with the human concept of dualism, that they only see two sides of something in the most extreme matter. Concepts such as good in the utmost respect comes into the conversation or evil in most extreme nature is only the right answer to accompany that notion of good. Nobody ever discusses the balance that is needed to fully utilize both sides and create this self-satisfying need to live and find purpose. Most people create this icon of that substance that gives them this illusion of happiness and satisfaction that it becomes an idol, a God-like substitute that has a need to be praised and adored in all forms. These may come in the forms of food, sex, money and other objects or instances that give pleasure. This false idea of fulfillment has given a misdirection of the real God that truly matters.