"That which we shall be, you have already begun to be."
~ St. Cyprian
Understanding Theology of the Body in Light of Religious Life
In developing his Theology of the body, St. John Paul II meditated on this passage from Matthew’s Gospel (19:3-12). “The Pharisees came to Jesus to test him by asking, `Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?’…Jesus says: From the beginning they were made male and female, for this reason a man shall leave his mother and father and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh.”
To help us understand what Jesus means by “in the beginning,” St. John Paul II implied that it meant before Original sin. He teaches us that, “in the beginning” there was an original solitude, an original unity and an original nakedness/innocence. In the original solitude, man’s body was in harmony with his soul and spirit. He could listen and respond to God. Man was alone without any other created being that was a person like himself.
Then the Lord gave man a woman whom he could relate to as a person. They understood that they were different from all of creation because they could think, choose, love and relate to one another. With their bodies they could enter into a nuptial union and become one flesh. In original solitude and original unity they could speak to God alone or together.
In their original nakedness they had a freedom and an innocence to surrender completely to the other by making a gift of oneself to the other. In that act, they became united as one flesh, with God as the center of their union. The nuptial union of man and woman is a sign that points us to a greater reality: the union of God and man; of Christ and His Bride - the Church. Consecrated religious begin to live this greater reality now.
From the above description, we understand that Theology of the Body encompasses the whole person. It not only teaches about conjugal love, our body and sexuality, it also imparts to us a deeper understanding of what it means to be created in the image of God. Theology of the Body leads us to recognize the beauty of the inner person - both male and female. These concepts help us to understand why virginity and chastity is not only possible, but even desirable.
As Daughters of Mary Mother of Healing Love, we contemplate Mary’s virginity in light of the original grace before the Fall. From this light we can more readily understand our relationship with the Father and our bridal union with Christ, by living in total freedom to the impulses of the Holy Spirit. Through Her Immaculate Conception, Mary continues to live in the atmosphere of how God created the world “in the beginning.” Our Mother is the only one who can teach us how to live in the “Original Solitude” as it was “in the beginning.” He who is the Logos has created us in His image. We are the only part of God’s creation that God created for its own sake (CCC 356). He gave us an intellect to think, a heart to love, and a will to choose.
In the “Original Solitude” Mary developed a listening heart. As the “Logos” was revealed to her, she learned how to respond with her intellect, her heart, and her choices. These experiences taught her how to converse with the language of love, in response to the Father’s love for her. Mary’s first experience as Daughter of God the Father matured in the “Original Unity,” developing the atmosphere conducive for accepting the nuptial invitation to become “the Mother of God the Son.” The beauty of her personhood within the two “Original” experiences teaches us how delicately God treats us-respecting our total freedom.