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R e v i e w
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This Rock
Volume 15, Number 10
 December 2004 
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A New Sexual Revolution
The sexual revolution of the last century has fragmented our culture at the deepest levels of its essence. Widespread acceptance of cohabitation, abortion, and sexual perversions such as homosexual "marriage" reveals how far we have come from the most basic ideas of love and human dignity.
In laying the foundation for a sexual counter-revolution, Pope John Paul II’s "theology of the body" advances the idea that the human body is representative of God and all his mysteries and that God uses our bodies to reveal the truth of himself. "Christ teaches that the meaning of life is to love as he loves," and this call is inscribed in our very bodies as male and female called to become "one flesh" (2). Since, as the Pope states, "the body, in fact, and it alone, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and divine" (5), it should not surprise us that the body itself reveals God’s invisible mystery.
What is this mystery? It is the fact that "God is a communion of love (the Trinity) and that we are destined to share in that exchange" (8) by becoming a sincere gift to each other. This giving of selves naturally produces a third, and in this way "sexual love becomes an icon or an earthly image in some sense of the inner life of the Trinity" (8–9).
The Pontiff’s words also point the way to understanding our purpose and how that purpose is to be expressed. He explains how the desire we all hold deep within our hearts—to love and be loved as a spouse-is actually the vocation to which we are all called. The vocation may be expressed differently, as in the sexual love of marriage or in the celibacy of religious life, but the end is the same. Some are called to reflect the union of Christ and the Church as well as the inner life of the Trinity now, on earth. Others are called to forgo that great good in this life in joyful hope of the marriage to come: the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Christopher West presents these beautiful ideas in an accessible way in his new book, Theology of the Body for Beginners. West’s name has become synonymous with faithful Catholic teaching on love, marriage, and sex, and in his recent work he has chosen to present the Pope’s writing in its most basic elements as a companion to the original text.
Now, a serious seeker of truth inevitably will find himself engaged in a careful reading of John Paul II’s own work. But the Pope’s writings seem daunting to many, especially without the aid of a knowledgeable interpreter.
A companion, then, to help with these works may be desirable, and such an introduction has been provided by West in Theology of the Body for Beginners. It is evident that West has a real concern for and love of the truth, since his writing continually refers us to the Pope’s own words and ideas. West’s style pushes us toward reading the Holy Father’s work itself while providing us with a solid foundation for doing so.
In presenting John Paul II’s ideas, West exhorts us to see whether the ideas found in the theology of the body are an echo of what we experience daily, whether we can indeed hear these truths played out in our own lives. If we read the work slowly, with an open heart, we can see how profound the Pope’s insights are and how truly they resonate within us. All of the long-held convictions about love, sex, and the body that we inevitably inherit from our culture will be challenged by these teachings. They will most likely fall away as we recognize just how clearly the Pope’s words ring true.
The strength of the Pope’s teachings rests on the fact that he begins with what we know: our bodies, the draw of love, the pull of attraction. Who among us has not experienced the ache of solitude and the yearning for connection, for love, for vulnerability without fear? These ideas concern us directly, and, without this starting point, we might miss the truth of the Holy Father’s words.
Though written for beginners, West’s book is not a book that should be read quickly. It is simply written, but the material is complex and insightful, absorbing on many levels. The things we hold deep in our hearts-the idealized images of love, beauty, and goodness-all find expression in these teachings. A slow, meditative approach to reading this book will be well-rewarded, and it simply will not be possible to look at sex and marriage in quite the same way again.
Given the scope of West’s work, it is clear that he is summarizing much of the Pope’s writings. For this reason, we see only glimpses of the whole meaning behind the theology of the body. The summaries, though, give so much food for thought and reflection that the reader is left wanting more. The brevity of the book and its rousing conclusion should inspire the reader to delve deeper into the Pontiff’s works and to take what he has learned out into the world, to others. The theology of the body is a tremendous work, and West does an excellent job of preparing us "beginners" for this new sexual revolution.
—Mary Jane O’Brien
Theology of the Body for Beginners
By Christopher West
Ascension Press
150 pages
$11.99
ISBN: 1932645349
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