Nuptial Meaning of Body

The Nuptial Meaning of the Body : 

The Nuptial Meaning of the Body The Call to Love as God Loves

Holiness : 

“In the beginning,” nakedness revealed God’s holiness in the visible world. God’s “holiness” is his eternal mystery of self-giving love. The “exchange of love” between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Human holiness “enables man to express himself deeply with his own body. By means of the “sincere gift” of himself Holiness

“Sincere Gift of Self” : 

“Man can fully discover his true self only in a sincere giving of himself” (GS, n. 24). We can only discover “who we are” by loving as God loves. Christ’s new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12) How did Christ love us? Recall his words at the Last Supper: “This is my body which is given for you” (Lk 22:19) “Sincere Gift of Self”

Realized Love : 

Love is supremely spiritual, but as Christ demonstrates, love is expressed and realized in the body. In fact, God inscribed the call to divine love in our bodies—in our sexuality—right from the beginning. Realized Love

Nuptial Love : 

In their nakedness, Adam and Eve discovered “the nuptial meaning of the body.” Nuptial love (also called marital, spousal, or conjugal love) is the love of total self-donation. The nuptial meaning of the body is the body’s “capacity of expressing love. That love precisely in which the person becomes a gift. And, by means of this gift, fulfills the very meaning of his being and existence. Nuptial Love

The Purpose of Life : 

If you are looking for the meaning of life, it’s impressed right in your body—in your sexuality! The purpose of life is to love as God loves This is what your body as a man or woman calls you to. The Purpose of Life

Think About It! : 

A man’s body doesn’t make sense by itself. Nor does a woman’s body. But seen in the light of each other, sexual difference reveals the unmistakable plan of God that man and woman are meant to be a “gift” to one another. Not only that, but their mutual gift (normally) leads to a “third.” “Knowledge” leads to generation: “Adam knew his wife and she conceived” (Gn 4:1) Think About It!

Revealing the Mystery of Sexuality : 

Fatherhood and motherhood “crown” and completely reveal the mystery of sexuality. God’s first directive in Genesis, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gn 1:28), isn’t merely an injunction to propagate. It’s a call to love in God’s image and thus “fulfill the very meaning of our being and existence.” Revealing the Mystery of Sexuality

The Fundamental Element of Existence : 

Marriage and procreation aren’t the only way to “love as God loves.” They serve as the original model. Whenever we imitate Christ in “giving up our bodies” for others, we express the body’s nuptial meaning. Christ will call some to sacrifice marriage “for the sake of the kingdom (Mt 19:12). Celibacy for the kingdom is not a rejection of sexuality. It’s a call to embrace the ultimate meaning and purpose of sexuality. The Fundamental Element of Existence

The Fundamental Element of Existence : 

The “one flesh” union is only a foreshadowing of something infinitely more grand and glorious The eternal union of Christ and the Church (Eph 5:31-32) Those who answer the call to Christian celibacy “skip” earthly marriage to devote themselves entirely to the eternal one. The Fundamental Element of Existence

The Universal Call to Holiness : 

The nuptial meaning of the body (the call to love that God inscribed in our flesh) reveals what Vatican II describes as “the universal call to holiness.” The more we grow in authentic (embodied!) holiness, the more we “discover and strengthen that bond that exists between the dignity of the human being (man or woman) and the nuptial meaning of his body.” The Universal Call to Holiness