Catholic Theology of the Body

Catholic Theology of the Body is a review of historical positions and views on the role of the human body. Catholic Theology of the Body is based on the premise that the human body has its origin in God. It will be, like the body of Jesus, resurrected, transformed and taken into heavenly glory. Theological anthropology is based on this premise. The 1950 dogma of the bodily Assumption of Mary, is the latest dogmatic manifestation of the Catholic Theology of the Body. It defines that Mary, Mother of God but also a human being, "was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. Anyone, who should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt, has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith".

Theology of Body has a long history and tradition within the Catholic Church. Early Church Fathers wrote on the role of the body and its relation to the soul, often elevating soul over body. But. like the soul, is is also created by God in his image.This is important even today, as the existence of a soul is basis for much Church teachings on the human body in areas such as abortion. Ambrose of Milan and Augustine of Hippo applied these views in their teachings on the human body, virginity and celibacy. Thomas Aquinas developed a systematic view, which dominated Church teachings and ecumencial councils including Vatican II All recent Popes contributed from different angles to the theology of the body. Issues continue to include the dignity of the body in light of its divine origin and destination, its eventual resurrection; Virginity, the Christian sacrament of marriage, and derived issues like faithfulness and contraception. The latest official Church teaching was the encyclical Deus Caritas Est On Christian Love from Pope Benedict XVI promulgated on Christmas, December 25, 2005.

Church Fathers
Some early Church fathers, like Origen were almost obsessed with the body and its roles. The theology of early Church fathers focused on the body in terms of its origin and destination and relation to the soul. Questions were raised, if the body may impede the soul in its attempt to be the image of God. These questions are relevant to a modern theology of the body, because they relate to concerns and definitions as to the beginning and nature of human life.

Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria (140?-220) views the body as the inferior partner body-soul. The body tends to be sinful. The soul has three advantages over the Body, She gives unity and life to the body, she allows the body to reason, which is manifested in her clearer vision of things after death. Finally, the soul is oriented owards God, while the body is oriented owards food and sex. The body is the grave of the soul, but also her residence, her home and her vehicle

Origen

Like Clement, Origin (185-254?) was an African. Also like Clement, Origin considers the human body a prison of the soul. The body tends to be oriented to lust and sin, but it is also a creation of God. God created the body like a peace of art in his image. This creation reflects God’s intelligence. The human body is (eikon) somehow similar to God. To be completed as a mirror of him, is the task for every Christian. Unlike the human body, the soul is an image of God. The body cannot be an image of God, otherwise God would look like a human being with a human body. Only soul can see God, but she is caught between the flesh and spirit. She constantly has to make a choice between the two. Origin suggests, that Christians should free themselves from bodily restrictions as much as possible in this life. The body is important however, in the context of resurrection. Origin believes that only the resurrection of the body makes any sense. While he heeds Saint Paul, that the resurrection of the body will mean a new body, he insists, its identity must be recognizable. Yet, he states, our hope for resurrection is not one for worms, and our souls do not yearn for another decayable body.

Irenaeus
Didymus the Blind
Gregory of Nazianzus
Gregory of Nyssa

to be continued

Ambrose of Milan

To Ambrose of Milan, the body lives in dualism with the soul and must be subjugated. Control of the body is essential for Christian life. Total control is virginity. Virginity and perfect chastity consecrated to the service of God allows the body to become the image of God. It is to Ambrose one of the most precious treasures, which Christ has left as his heritage to the Church. He asserted that perpetual virginity is a noble gift which the Christian religion has bestowed on the world. Virginity is not new or even Christian. Pagans imposed this way of life on the Vestals for a certain time. Ambrose writes, "We read that also in the temple of Jerusalem there were virgins. But what does the Apostle say? 'Now all these things happened to them in figure', that this might be a foreshadowing of what was to come " Mary is the model of virginity: No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus she, through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation.

* "To sow the seeds of perfect purity and to arouse a desire for virginity has always belonged to the function of the priesthood."

Augustine of Hippo
Augustine is the father of many contemporary theological views on the body. He too considers virginity of the human body the superior way to Christ. But matrimony is a triple blessing in light of its offspring, conjugal faith and being a sacrament: "In conjugal faith it is provided that there should be no carnal intercourse outside the marriage bond with another man or woman; with regard to offspring, that children should be begotten of love, tenderly cared for and educated in a religious atmosphere; finally, in its sacramental aspect that the marriage bond should not be broken and that a husband or wife, if separated, should not be joined to another even for the sake of offspring. This we regard as the law of marriage by which the fruitfulness of nature is adorned and the evil of incontinence is restrained. .

He quoted Paul saying that young girls should marry arguing that they should bear children, to be mothers of families'." Augustine was one of the first and most important Church fathers who wrote, that contraception is wrong: "Intercourse even with one's legitimate wife is unlawful and wicked where the conception of the offspring is prevented. Onan, the son of Juda, did this and the Lord killed him for it."

Thomas Aquinas

Man the image of God
Thomas deals with a number of questions, most importantly, the question of man as image of God.
"Since man is said to be the image of God by reason of his intellectual nature, he is the most perfectly like God according to that in which he can best imitate God in his intellectual nature. Now the intellectual nature imitates God chiefly in this, that God understands and loves Himself. Wherefore we see that the image of God is in man in three ways. This means according to Thomas,that man has a natural aptitude for recognizing, understanding and loving God, for which however, he requires His grace."

Animals, the likeness of God
But are animals also created in the image of God, who created them? Thomas has a unique answer:
In all creatures there is some kind of likeness to God, he argued. But in the thinking person, which he called "the rational creature" there is a likeness of "image"; whereas in other creatures we find a likeness by way of a "trace." Thomas explains the difference between trace and image. “An "image" represents something by likeness in species, while a "trace" represents something by way of an effect, which represents the cause in such a way as not to attain to the likeness of species.

Pope Pius XI
Catholic doctrine from early on and supported by the Council of Trent, considered virginity to be the most holy state for humans, with marriage allowed only for those without the fortitude required by an abstinent life. In Casti Connubii, Pius XI repeatedly quotes Augustine, who teaches, that among the blessings of marriage, the child holds the first place, the indissolubility of marriage, and avoidance of conception:

* Small wonder, therefore, if Holy Writ bears witness that the Divine Majesty regards with greatest detestation this horrible crime and at times has punished it with death. As St. Augustine notes, "Intercourse even with one's legitimate wife is unlawful and wicked where the conception of the offspring is prevented

Following this argument, Pius XI repeats that the conjugal act is intrinsically tied with procreation but also acknowledges the unitive aspect of intercourse as licit. The encyclical affirms the Church's opposition to adultery and divorce, and speaks out against the eugenics laws, popular at that time, that forbade those deemed 'unfit' from marrying and having children.

Pope Pius XII

Pope Pius XII, who in the war years 1939-1942, delivered a series of lectures to the newly married couples of Rome, which for decades became the basis for marital instruction in the US, As Popes before him, and following the teachings of the Council of Trent, Pope Pius explained in Sacra Virginitas, that virginity is superior to marriage. . He also rejects the view, that he human body needs fulfilment of the sexual instinct for mental or physical health the harmony of one’s personality. In this context he criticized the adoration of one’s body and disorderly love of oneself.
Ethics
In a 1951 speech to midwives, he repeated the inviolability of the human body as a creation of God, opposing all forms of genetic mercy killings. The right to life comes directly from God not from the parents Any kind of sterilization is rejected as well. Like Pius XI, he extolled the sanctity of the sacrament of marriage, a place for peace and love, requiring often heroism by both partners. Parents have a role not only to give physical but also spiritual life to the offspring Pius criticized the traditional male role in marriage, stating, that while the male member is head of the family, he should also participate in the domestic shores especially within families, where the mother is working full time.Pius XII demands equal pay for equal work.

Family planning
Regarding natural family planning methods, Pope Pius differentiated between the use of marital rights during infertility days, and the specific selection of these days, for which he argued more detailed: If a marital partner entered marriage with the intention to use only these days to avoid offspring, the marriage contract itself would be invalid. If on the other hand, the marital partner uses these days only occasionally but not exclusively, then the marriage would be a legitimate one. The intention, not the actual use of marital rights is decisive. Pius XII explains this with the notion, that marriage includes both, rights and obligations.

Abstinence within marriage is also highlighted in his teachings. Pius takes issue with the argument, that abstinence is an impossible heroic act. He argues, if a natural union is not possible, abstinence is required, quoting Augustine. And, he adds, in the time of World War Two, so many acts of real heroism were required of men and women in so many countries, against which sexual absence pales in comparison. The human body and its needs should not be the centre of gratification but need to be sublimated under spiritual priorities which reflect the divine design and destiny. Marriage is not the highest value and human dignity must be preserved and applied in the marital act The teachings of the Church reject a hedonistic view of the human body, while recognizing and valuing its divine origin and dignity. The Church thus protects the dignity of men against overemphasis of sensuality.

Body and soul
Early Church writers, while defining the position of the body within theology, had focused much attention on the creation of body and soul. The body of man was created by God (de Fide) according to the teachings of two ecumenical councils Lateran IV and Vatican I

Pope Pius XII taught, that the question of the origin of man's body from pre-existing and living matter is a legitimate matter of inquiry for natural science. Catholics are free to form their own opinions, but they should do so cautiously; they should not confuse fact with conjecture, and they should respect the Church's right to define matters touching on Revelation.>
For these reasons the Teaching Authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions, on the part of men experienced in both fields, take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter - for the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God. . In an October 22, 1996, address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope John Paul II repeated the position of Pius XII adding:

* "In his encyclical Humani Generis (1950), my predecessor Pius XII has already affirmed that there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of the faith regarding man and his vocation, provided that we do not lose sight of certain fixed points....Today, more than a half-century after the appearance of that encyclical, some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than an hypothesis."

Resurrection of the body
To the Catholic Church, the 1950 dogma of the Assumption of Pope Pius XII is proof for the resurrection of the body from the dead. Pope Pius was confident that the solemn proclamation and definition of the Assumption will contribute in no small way to the advantage of human society and individuals. He hoped that those who meditate upon the Assumption of Mary will be better able to withstand the pressures of a material life style, and look instead at the true destination of their own bodies: In this magnificent way all may see clearly to what a lofty goal our bodies and souls are destined. Finally it is our hope that belief in Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven will make our belief in our own resurrection stronger and more realistic.

* By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith.

Pope Paul VI

The central document of Pope Paul VI is Humanae Vitae The Pope begins with the statement that ”the transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator”. He claims that this is a source of great joy to them, although it means many difficulties and hardships. But there are global perspectives. Rapid increase in population created the spectre of a World without food and other resources for all, a temptation for State authorities to clamp down on population increase with drastic measures. The role of woman in society has been changing drastically; But; most importantly, according to the encyclical, the advent of birth control devices require a position of the magisterium of the Church.

Limited rights over the body
The Pope points to some dogmatic principals, which in his view are not his but teachings of Christ. . Human procreation like all questions of life is a part of “ God's Loving Design. Married life takes its origin from God, who "is love," Husband and wife cooperate with God in the generation and rearing of new lives. Married Love must therefore be more then a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is faithful and exclusive until death. Parents are not free to act as they choose in the service of transmitting life, as if it were wholly up to them to decide what is the right course to follow. Observing the Natural Law means that each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life.

Faithfulness to God's Design means to experience married love while respecting the laws of conception and to acknowledge that one is not the master of the sources of life but rather the minister of the design established by the Creator. All artificial birth control methods are unlawful as are all specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means. Lawful Therapeutic Means are permitted id necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result, provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever. Recourse to Infertile Periods applies to the spacing births, arising from the physical or psychological condition of husband or wife, or from external circumstances, the Church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycle. Scientists, as already requested by Pius XII, should study natural rhythms as a secure basis for limitation of offspring.

Control of the body
Pope Paul fully realizes that Humanae Vitae is not easy to follow. Some may argue, that it teaches the impossible. He discusses the Value of Self-Discipline of the body and self-denial of bodily pleasures as a source of family tranquillity, peace and personality development within the family. He recommends chastity within marriage and appeals to Public Authorities; not tolerate any legislation which would introduce into the family those practices which are opposed to the natural law of God.

Social and Economic development

The Pope is fully aware of the developmental implications of this teaching. Regarding world-wide development he quotes Pope John XXIII that no solution is acceptable which violates man's essential dignity by reducing him to a materialistic concept. The only possible solution is social and economic progress of individuals and society, which respects and promotes true human values. This excludes misguided governmental policies, a lack of social justice, a selfish accumulation of material goods, and failure raise the standard of living of peoples and their children. The Pope sees a great potential for governments, national aid programs and, especially for international aid organizations

Christian Compassion
Christian Couples face great difficulties, at times: Husbands and wives should take up the burden appointed to them: Married couples should communicate their own experience to others. Thus the lay vocation will be included a novel and outstanding form of the apostolate Christian Compassion must be the guiding light. The Pope teaches that this doctrine of Christ on love and the uses of the body must always be joined with tolerance and charity:

* As Christ Himself showed in His conversations and dealings with men. For when He came, not to judge, but to save the world, was He not bitterly severe toward sin, but patient and abounding in mercy toward sinners?

Pope John Paul II
see: Theology of the Body

John Paul II continued on the Catholic Theology of the Body of his predecessors with a series of lectures, entitled the Theology of the Body, in which he talked about an original unity between man and women, purity of heart ( on the Sermon on the Mount)
marriage and celibacy and reflections on Humane Vitae, focusing largely on responsible parenthood and marital chastity. He links "the original unity of man and women" with the book of Genesis, and raises in this context questions like , why Christ put so much emphasis on human beings as male and female. He argues, Man becomes the Image of God in the moment of communion

Pope Benedict XVI
In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI took up the concerns of his predecessors in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, where he raises some questions regarding Eros, body and the Church. (Did Christianity destroy Eros? Doesn't the Church, with all her commandments and prohibitions, turn to bitterness the most precious thing in life? Doesn't she blow the whistle just when the joy which is the Creator's gift offers us a happiness which is itself a certain foretaste of the Divine?)

Nature of Love

Pope Benedict XVI realizes that real life is often just happening, neither planned nor willed. What is imposed, is not voluntary. The encyclical does not mention the teachings of the Popes Pius XI through John Paul II on birth control and natural family planning. The late Pope, “my great predecessor” is, however praised for his social teachings, on poverty and so on. The encyclical focuses on a broad concept of love and not on prohibitions and definitions, which may anger some segments of the public. Benedict distances himself from "my sinful body, my enemy" views, but goes further, when he warns against the traditional Catholic radical distinctions of “good love”, Agape and “bad” or “dirty” love, Eros and Sex. Benedict, while clearly recognizing degrading sexual misuses, complains, that in the past these good-bad distinctions have often been radicalized within the Catholic Church. This is dangerous, because:

* Were this.. to be taken to extremes, the essence of Christianity would be detached from the vital relations fundamental to human existence, and would become a world apart, admirable perhaps, but decisively cut off from the complex fabric of human life.

40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae
The principles of Catholic faith are old as the scriptures, Benedict states. The Pope intends to focus on these eternal principles of Catholic faith. On May 12, 2008, he accepted an invitation to talk participants in the International Congress organized by the Pontifical Lateran University on the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae. He put the encyclical, which in his view, was very poorly understood, in the broader view of love in a global context, a topic, which he called - “so controversial, yet so crucial for humanity's future”. Humanae Vitae became” a sign of contradiction but also of continuity of the Church's doctrine and tradition... What was true yesterday is true also today”, . The Church continues to reflect "in an ever new and deeper way on the fundamental principles that concern marriage and procreation”. The key message of Humanae Vitae is love. Benedict states, that the fullness of a person is achieved by a unity of soul and body, but neither spirit nor body alone can love, only the two together. If this unity is broken, if only the body is satisfied, love becomes a commodity. Ultimately, Benedict teaches, Christian love grows out the love of Christ. In his last words, the Pontiff prays to Mary:

:::::::Show us Jesus. Lead us to him.
:::::::Teach us to know and love him
:::::::so that we too can become
:::::::capable of true love
:::::::and be fountains of living water
:::::::in the midst of a thirsting world.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu